LAKE CHARLES, LA — U. S. Customs and Border Protection announced the rearrest of a man who had previously been convicted of a sex crime involving a child in the country and deported.
According to border patrol agents, the arrest happened Friday morning, February 15, on Interstate 10 in Calcashieu Parish. They say that a sheriff’s deputy pulled over a car with three passengers. Inside the car, agents say the deputy identified Heber Obed Hernandez-Martinez and contacted Customs and Border Protection for assistance.
Agents say that Hernandez-Martinez was convicted in 2009 of a first degree sexual offense involving a child and served 84 months in prison in the United States. After his release, they say he was deported in 2016.
“This significant arrest of an illegal alien felon convicted of a serious sexual offense involving a child highlights the fact that bad people and bad things do come across our border as part of the migrant caravan. Although not all members of the caravan are aggravated felons, the Border Patrol understands that some will exploit the caravan to do harm to the United States and its citizens,” said New Orleans Sector Chief Patrol Agent Greg Bovino in a written news release announcing the arrest. “Border Security is National Security and doesn’t just occur at the physical border. If the Border Patrol and local partners like Calcasieu Parish didn’t have a robust enforcement posture in place, Hernandez may have had the opportunity to assault another child.”
According to Customs and Border Protection, Herdandez-Martinez will remain in jail and could face felony immigration charges.