Four members of the MS-13 street gang were arrested by Border Patrol agents within a 14-hour span this week along with two migrants with previous arrests for alleged sex crimes, authorities said Friday.
Agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas say the four migrants were actively involved in the notorious street gang. Two of them had previously been deported, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.
No further information was provided. Fox News has reached out to the CBP.
On Friday, six migrants were taken into custody near the border city of Roma, CBP said. One of them had an open warrant out of Orange County, Florida for lascivious battery.
A 37-year-old Guatemalan citizen was arrested Tuesday by border agents after having illegally entered the U.S. near McAllen, Texas, border officials said.
A record check revealed he had a previous conviction for lewd lascivious behavior toward a child younger than 16. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison in that case, the CBP said.
The apprehensions come amid a surge of illegal crossings as the federal government struggles to secure the border. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has criticized the Biden administration for the influx of migrants into his state.
As a result, Abbott said he has dispatched National Guard troops and the state Department of Public Safety to the border to contain migrant caravans crossing into the U.S.
“At the direction of Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Military Department are committed to securing the Texas border. As part of Operation Lone Star (OLS), Texas DPS continues to enforce all state violations of law including, but not limited to, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, smuggling and human trafficking,” DPS said in a statement.
In addition, the state has put a $250 million down payment on new border wall construction.
On Tuesday, Texas authorities arrested a suspected 17-year-old human smuggler attempting to bring seven migrants into the U.S. on a raft illegally. Rafts have been seen coming across the border for several months without much resistance.