U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday that Border Patrol agents arrested three previously deported illegal immigrants from Guatemala on Monday.
Niagara Falls, N.Y., police pulled over Fredy Yobani Sam-Az, 29, Alfonzo Colop-Sam, 31, and Gabriel Humberto Colop-Sam, 33, for traffic violations on that date.
The Niagara Falls authorities then requested the Border Patrol’s help when they struggled to identify the individuals. Only one occupant of the vehicle was in possession of a Guatemalan passport, CBP said.
“Border Patrol agents interviewed all three individuals who were citizens of Guatemala,” CBP said. “All three individuals were determined by Border Patrol to be illegally present in the U.S., and were placed under arrest and transported to the Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station for further investigation.”
“The U.S. Border Patrol assists law enforcement partners every day in securing our border. The arrest of these three individuals highlights the cooperation between law enforcement agencies. I commend our agents for their hard work and commitment to service,” Josh Barrett, a Niagara Falls Border Patrol agent, said in a release.
The issue of illegal immigrants re-entering the United States after being deported came up last year, when a re-entered illegal immigrant shot Kate Steinle in California.
A proposed law, called “Kate’s Law” seeks to remedy these types of situations. The law would impose a five-year minimum sentence on any illegal immigrant who re-enters the country.
The law is championed by prominent Republican politicians, including its Senate sponsor Ted Cruz, Republican front-runner Donald Trump, and Trump backer Sen. Jeff Sessions.
