U.S. Border Patrol agents on Tuesday caught two illegal immigrants with criminal convictions as they crossed into Arizona from Mexico.
One man, 35-year-old Santos Avila Rosales of Honduras, was convicted of child molestation in Louisiana in 2011, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The other, 46-year-old Arturo Benjamin Avila Torres, is a two-time convicted felon who was deported after his crimes in California. He was convicted in 1993 for assault with a firearm and again in 1998 for “lascivious acts with a minor under 14.”
CBP said both men will face felony immigration prosecution and that the agency is using biometrics to “ensure illegal aliens with criminal histories are positively identified.”
The Trump administration has argued the situation at the border is a national emergency that requires a wall or steel slat fence to be built in areas where illegal immigrants continue to enter. President Trump has said sections of the border in between ports of entry are in dire need of infrastructure, as people and drugs are allowed to cross freely.
Trump and his supporters also say a wall would let border officials more effectively patrol the border, while Democrats have said they can only support infrastructure improvements at the ports of entry.
