Tecate, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers at the Tecate port of entry recently apprehended a
32-year-old male Mexican citizen wanted in Georgia, for molestation of a minor.
On Thursday, June 7, the man entered the
Tecate port of entry as a pedestrian and presented a U.S. naturalization
certificate to a CBP officer. The officer suspected the man was not the legal
owner of the document and referred him for further inspection.
During a more in-depth inspection,
officers used his fingerprints to positively identify him as Gabriel
Santillan-Gonzalez. A search of law enforcement databases also revealed a
no-bail felony warrant for his arrest for child molestation.
After confirming the warrant with the
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in Canton, Georgia, officers transported
Santillan to the San Diego County jail pending extradition.
CBP officers determined that Santillan
was an illegal alien with no legal documents to enter the U.S. He attempted to
use someone else’s legitimate naturalization certificate to illegally enter the
United States and evade capture.
“CBP protects the American public and
our local community when we enforce the law at our nation’s borders,” said
Chris Maston, Director of Field Operations in San Diego. “Because of the
vigilance of a CBP officer spotting this imposter, a fugitive wanted on child
molestation charges is now behind bars."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is
the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged
with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and
between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and
terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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