US Border Agents Arrest MS-13 Gang Member Seeking Asylum with Caravan Migrants
Officials say violent criminal was ‘intending on filing for asylum in the United States'
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US border officials confirm they have arrested a member of the violent MS-13 street gang who was attempting to seek "asylum" in the United States after traveling with a migrant caravan.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that the dangerous criminal was apprehended at Calexico Port of Entry on Saturday.
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release, 29-year-old Honduran citizen Jose Villalobos-Jobel was arrested by Border Patrol agents assigned to El Centro Sector around 6:00 pm that day.
Officials confirmed that Villalobos-Jobel was apprehended while trying to cross the border into the US, and was "intending on filing for asylum in the United States.”
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The DHS statement reads:
“After a short interview, the man told agents he is a Honduran citizen and active gang member with the notorious Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) international crime organization.
"The man also told agents he traveled to the United States border with a large group of people from Central America intending on filing for asylum in the United States.”
According to the Daily Caller, Villalobos-Jobel will be sent back to Honduras.
It’s unclear if Villalobos-Jobel was the only gang member arrested at the border.
The arrest came one day before officials were forced to close the San Ysidro port of entry after several hundred migrants attempted storming the border between Tijuana, Mexico, and the San Diego area.
Border agents used tear gas to disperse the crowds trying to cross into the country.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she would not put up with this "lawlessness" as American authorities were forced to defend the border breach with rubber bullets and tear gas at the crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.
Mexican officials attempted to use crowd control on Sunday afternoon but were overwhelmed when the huge mobs of migrants rushed at authorities, breaching their defenses.
Massive crowds of mostly-male Central American migrants tried to cut a hole in the concertina wire gap on the Mexican side, before tearing down a fence and pouring through the gap while throwing rocks at US forces defending the invasion.
In a later tweet, Nielsen condemned members of the caravan throwing objects at border personnel, saying:
"Today CBP (Customs and Border Protection) personnel were struck by projectiles thrown by caravan members.
"Such actions are dangerous & not consistent w peacefully seeking asylum.
"The perpetrators will be prosecuted.
"I will continue to aggressively support DHS personnel as they work to safely secure our border."
