DEL RIO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to Del Rio Sector’s Brackettville Station arrested two convicted felons, April 5.
“With convictions for deadly assault and unspeakable acts against a child, these two men are extremely dangerous criminals,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II. “This speaks volumes to the importance of border security and the dedication of our agents to detect, arrest, and identify anyone who illegally enters our country.”
Agents arrested Jose Ismael Barcenas-Espinoza, 55, a citizen of Mexico, shortly after he illegally entered the United States. He was transported to Brackettville Station, where records checks revealed that, in 2010, Barcenas-Espinoza was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Barcenas-Espinoza was most recently removed from the United States in 2014.
Agents also arrested Rafael Garcia-Nieto, 44, a citizen of Mexico, shortly after he illegally entered the United States. During processing, records checks revealed that, in 2004, Garcia-Nieto was convicted of sex penetration of a child and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and most recently removed from the United States in 2007.
As convicted felons, they each face a charge of 8 USC § 1326 – Re-entry After Deportation, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Since Oct. 1, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents have arrested 577 criminal aliens, a 219 percent increase from the previous year.