SANTA TERESA, N.M. -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry on Saturday apprehend a Mexican male who had an outstanding warrant for sexual assault of a child. The apprehension was one of nine NCIC fugitive arrests made by area CBP officers this weekend.
“Homeland security is our priority mission,” said Hector Mancha, CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations. “The inspections we perform to keep our nation secure often uncover people who are wanted by law enforcement. This is another way CBP helps keep our nation safe.”
The apprehension was made shortly after 2 p.m. April 16 when 29-year-old Ernesto Luna Tinajero of Acambaro, Guanajuato, Mexico arrived as a pedestrian entrant from Mexico. The subject presented an ID and advised CBP officers that he believed he was a wanted subject and wished to surrender to U.S. authorities. CBP performed a query and confirmed that the man had an active warrant out of Washington state. The subject was taken into custody and later turned over to the New Mexico State Police. The hunt for this subject has been featured in several recent Facebook posts and news stories.
In addition to the nine fugitive arrests CBP officers working at area ports also stopped four drug loads, intercepted prohibited agricultural items four times, and made three outbound seizures during the weekend.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.