Border Patrol agents in Roseburg, New Mexico, arrested a previously deported prison gang member on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to an internal Border Patrol memo obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
On Feb. 11, agents arrested Ruben Moreno, a member of the Norteño prison gang who admitted to being a previously deported Mexican national, according to the memo. Amid record numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States in recent years, federal border authorities have arrested hundreds of gang members. according to to federal data. (Related: Exclusive: Federal government cracks down on Afghan illegal immigrants from terrorist watch list)
“During interrogation, it was discovered that Ruben Moreno had been convicted of second-degree robbery and had served seven years in prison. In addition, Moreno-Ruben had been a member of the Norteño gang during various periods of incarceration. “I admitted that,” the memo said.
DCNF // Domestic Border Patrol Alert Retrieved by Jenny Tarr
From October to December, Border Patrol agents arrested 157 gang members, including two Norteño members.
In addition, data shows border agents arrested 598 gang members in fiscal year 2023, including three Norteño members, and 751 in fiscal year 2022, including two Norteño members.
Norteño is known to operate out of prisons in Northern California; according to to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Young members of Latin American gangs do not have tattoos that indicate gang affiliation to make it easier for them to enter the United States, according to gang experts who previously spoke with DCNF.
Kyle Williamson, director of the West Texas Anti-Gang Center in El Paso, Texas, has previously said that young members of the Venezuelan gang Torren de Argua wear skirts and tattoos indicating their affiliation with border authorities. It is said that he is trying to enter the United States without a passport. DCNF.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not immediately respond to DCNF's requests for comment.
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