Previously-Deported Sex Offender Arrested by Tucson Border Patrol Agents

TUCSON, Ariz. –Border Patrol agents assigned to the Tucson Station arrested a previously-deported Guatemalan man Tuesday morning and later discovered he was convicted and incarcerated for crimes against a child.

Agents patrolling near Sasabe arrested 23-year-old Henry Velasquez-Lopez for being illegally present in the United States. During processing, agents conducted a records check on Velasquez, which revealed his November 2016 conviction in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for “Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 4th Degree” and “Children- Accosting for Immoral Purposes.” He was sentenced to one year in prison.

Velasquez will remain in federal custody pending prosecution for criminal immigration violations involving re-entry of an aggravated felon.

All persons apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.

~CBP~

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, parent agency of the U.S. Border Patrol, is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona.