Border Patrol agents from Maine’s Houlton sector busted an illegal alien gang member from Colombia last month who was the subject of an active New Jersey arrest warrant and deemed a national security threat.
[RELATED: U.S. Marshals Team Up with Local Police to Bust Wanted Trinitarios Gang-Member Hiding Out in Bethel…]
The man was reportedly arrested in the ordinarily sleepy town of Union, where early last month an unrelated murder investigation seized the attention of the state, and nation.
“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. Public safety, border security, and national security threats are the number one focus of the Border Patrol, and we will apply all resources available to us to apprehend these individuals and impose consequences,” said Houlton Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Craig Shepley.
Agents arrested the Columbian national, whom authorities did not name, in Union on July 30 after he was found to be in the U.S. illegally. Following the arrest, further investigation revealed that the Colombian national was the subject of a New Jersey arrest warrant for burglary
The investigation found that the Columbian was a member of the South American Theft Group (SATG) transnational criminal organization. The illegal alien was previously arrested by Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, in June 2022 for illegally entering the country.
At that time, he was processed for expedited removal, but it is unclear whether he was ever actually deported or whether he re-entered the country illegally following a deportation.
He has been transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for processing.
Maine has seemingly become a haven for illegal immigrant gang members fleeing justice. Earlier this month, the U.S. Marshal Service apprehended a member of the Dominican Trinitarios gang hiding in Maine from active warrants for attempted murder and a slew of other violent crimes.
Throughout the year, multiple illegal immigrant members of transnational gangs recognized as terrorists organizations, such as MS-13 or Tren De Aragua, have been apprehended in Maine.
