Houlton Sector Border Patrol agents arrested four Brazilian migrants who initially entered the U.S. legally but overstayed their visas.

Rangeley Station Border Patrol agents received a tip about suspicious activity near a Walmart store in Farmington, Maine. Agents responded to the area where they encountered two Brazilian migrants. During an interview with the migrants, Border Patrol agents learned the two men entered the U.S. legally on B1/B2 tourist visas more than 11 years ago, according to information obtained from Houlton Sector Border Patrol officials.

Further investigation led to the discovery of two more Brazilian migrants residing at a local hotel. The agents made the discovery after transporting the first two migrants to the hotel to obtain their personal property. The agents investigated the other two migrants and found they also entered the U.S. on tourist visas.

Border Patrol agents also learned the four men were working illegally in the U.S.

The agents transported the four men to the Rangeley Border Patrol station for processing, officials stated. The agents turned the migrants over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.

The ERO officers placed the four Brazilian migrants into administrative removal proceedings.

“We rely on the public and our enforcement partners to serve as force multipliers for us,” Houlton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens. “With our limited resources, it would be next to impossible for us to achieve situational awareness without their assistance.”

The Houlton Sector provides conducts border security operations for the entire state of Maine.