CALEXICO, CALIF.—U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector apprehended a pair of violent gang members attempting to make an illegal entry into the United States, in two separate incidents on Sunday.

The first incident occurred about midnight, when Border Patrol agents observed a 26-year-old Mexican national cross into the United States from Mexico. Agents apprehended the man before he entered a neighborhood east of town. The man was taken to the station where his identity was confirmed as that of an active gang member from Riverside, Calif. Records indicated he had an extensive criminal history including a prison sentence of over 24 months. The man had also been ordered removed by an Immigration Judge in May 2011.

The second incident occurred later that evening, when Border Patrol agents arrested a 23-year-old male Mexican national who climbed over the United States/Mexico International Boundary Fence. A routine records check indicated the man had an extensive criminal history and is an active gang member from Ontario, Calif. An Immigration Judge had previously removed the man from the U.S. in January 2011.

Both men are being processed for criminal prosecution.