US Customs and Border Patrol, November 21, 2019

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Uvalde Station arrested a member of a known criminal gang, from El Salvador, Nov. 19.

“Transnational Criminal Organizations are looking for any way they can to penetrate the United States,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz. “Fortunately, in this case, our agents were able to apprehend this gang member safely without further incident.”

Border Patrol agents performing train check operations in Uvalde discovered evidence of foot traffic that led to the apprehension of six suspected illegal immigrants. During processing, records checks revealed one of the illegal aliens, 34-year-old, Carlos Omar Monterosa-Portillo, a Salvadoran national, was a member of the Transnational Criminal Organization known as the 18th Street Gang. Monterosa-Portillo has an extensive criminal history, including a 2009 conviction, in Baltimore, for possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure. He has been deported multiple times, most recently in 2015.

Monterosa-Portillo faces prosecution under 8 USC § 1326 – reentry after deportation, a felony which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

All individuals arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure those with criminal history or gang affiliation are positively identified.