U.S. Border Patrol agents said Thursday that they apprehended several illegal immigrants at the southern border in Texas in places where there are no physical barrier walls to deter illegal crossings.

Among those caught crossing into the U.S. were a Mexican man with a previous conviction in Georgia for child molestation, a Honduran man with a record in North Carolina showing a conviction for "indecent liberties with child," and another Honduran male with a Florida record that identified him as a member of the violent MS-13 gang.

The apprehensions occurred in the Rio Grande Valley sector of the southern border on Monday and Tuesday, according to a release by the Border Patrol.

I toured a portion of that sector in January, and agents said areas that feature a 25-foot barrier of concrete and steel have proven critical in blocking illegal border-crossers, forcing them to attempt their crossings in specific areas where they can be apprehended. They've asked for more of the same kind of border wall to fill in the long gaps that exist.

When President Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday that his proposal is for new barrier that "will be deployed in the areas identified by the border agents as having the greatest need," this is what he meant.