see also: in October 2007 News Releases:   Cocaine Smuggler Tries To Trick El Paso CBP Officers by Hiding Drugs in Car Body   Border Patrol Agents in Texas Seize Marijuana Worth $1 Million Hidden Under Watermelons   Fingerprint Check Allows Border Patrol to Arrest Murder Suspect   Border Patrol Texas Task Force Seizes 500 Pounds of Marijuana   CBP Officers at Mail Facility Find Marijuana in Cement Statues, Opium   Tecate, Calif. Cargo Processing Port to Resume Operations Wednesday Morning   CBP at Newark Airport Discovers Man with Fraudulent Documents, False Claim to U.S. Citizenship ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Tucson, Az – Tucson Sector Border Patrol Agents arrested a man convicted of a sex offense after he attempted to sneak into the U.S. Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., local time.

Border Patrol Agents working out of the Douglas, Ariz., Border Patrol station arrested 25-year-old Mateo Cruz-Cruz, a Mexican national, after he illegally entered the United States by jumping the fence east of the Douglas, Ariz., Port of Entry.

At the station, agents noticed the man had burned his fingerprints in an attempt to conceal his identity. After the subject was entered into the ENFORCE/IAFIS database, it was revealed that he had a prior criminal conviction for “Sexual Assault of a Minor” in Polk County, Iowa, in 2004.

Record checks also revealed that Cruz was deported from the United States in March 2004. The man is being held in custody and prosecuted for illegal entry based upon his status as an aggravated felon and his criminal immigration history.

This arrest highlights the dedication to border security by the men and women of the Border Patrol and the success of using programs like the IAFIS system in positively identifying subjects whose attempts at avoiding identification are sometimes extreme.

To report illegal activity anytime and remain anonymous, please call 1-800-USBP-HELP.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.