HIDALGO, Texas—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a 23-year-old male United States citizen from Mission, Texas who was wanted on sexual indecency charges by the Mission Police Department.
“We check every person’s identity who seeks to enter the United States through an international border crossing against our databases,” said Port Director Efrain Solis Jr., Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “This allows CBP Field Operations to ascertain who we are dealing with and at the same time, to detect those persons who have outstanding arrest warrants or other issues that require detainment.”
On Oct. 25, CBP officers working at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge encountered Ricardo Garza at the pedestrian walkway. Initial checks revealed that he was a possible match to an outstanding warrant from the Mission Police Department. CBP officers secured Garza and escorted him to secondary where further queries through CBP and law enforcement databases confirmed his identity and confirmed he had an outstanding warrant for indecency with a child under the age of 17, a 2nd degree felony. Apparently he was charged in May for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with an under-aged female from Mission.
CBP Field Operations arrested Garza who was then released to the custody of officers from the Mission Police Department.
CBP officers this weekend also arrested five other persons who had arrest warrants ranging from resisting arrest, possession of control substances, probation violations and also for immigration violations.
CBP’s Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.