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  4. USBP Agents Arrest Two Convicted Sex Offenders near Ajo

USBP Agents Arrest Two Convicted Sex Offenders near Ajo

Release Date
Mon, 10/15/2018

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station apprehended two men with violent criminal histories shortly after they entered the U.S. illegally near Ajo in separate incidents Friday.

Agents arrested 36-year-old Alejandro Ramirez Santiago, a Mexican national, after he illegally crossed the border near Ajo Friday morning. When agents conducted a records check on Ramirez, they learned he had been convicted in Texas of sexual assault and sentenced to three years confinement in 2006.

That afternoon, Ajo agents apprehended a 42-year-old El Salvadorian, Santos Ayala-Alfaro, for being illegally present in the United States. During processing, agents discovered that Ayala has been previously convicted in Kings County, Washington in 2008 for possession of cocaine, in 2009 for manufacturing and dealing a schedule three narcotic, and in 2012 for rape, assault, and harassment. Ayala was sentenced to a combined 123 months confinement for his crimes.

Both men will remain in federal custody pending prosecution for criminal felony immigration charges.

All individuals apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.

Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021