BROWNSVILLE, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge apprehended a man wanted by the Harlingen Police Department on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault of a child, according to the agency.
According to CBP, officers referred Bryan Eduardo Alcala, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, for a secondary inspection on Monday, July 6. During the secondary examination, CBP officers used biometric verification and federal law enforcement databases to verify his identity and discovered he was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for sexual assault of a child (penetration) issued by the Harlingen Police Department, according to the agency. Alcala was taken into custody and turned over to the Harlingen Police Department, CBP said.
Alcala is charged, not convicted. Under the American justice system, a warrant and subsequent arrest represent allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
“Our CBP officers perform their duties with strict vigilance, and their attention to detail led to the apprehension of a man with an outstanding warrant for sexual assault of child,” Port Director Tater Ortiz of the Brownsville Port of Entry said in a statement.
According to CBP, the identification was made through the National Crime Information Center, a centralized automated database used to share warrant and offender information among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The agency said officers have previously made arrests based on NCIC information involving outstanding warrants for offenses including homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion.
CBP said the apprehension was part of the agency’s ongoing enforcement efforts. The agency added that under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, CBP has worked with law enforcement partners to arrest and remove individuals with criminal warrants and to enforce federal immigration law.
Anyone with information about suspicious activity at ports of entry can report it to CBP by calling 1-800-635-2509.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
