U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a previously deported sex offender on September 4, 2019 after he reentered the country illegally near Hereford, Arizona.
Agents apprehended Heliodoro Regino-Garcia, a 44-year-old Mexican national, early Wednesday evening during a vehicle stop that resulted in a human smuggling case.
Agents discovered five illegal immigrants in a Toyota Yaris with a United States citizen driver. The driver was arrested on human smuggling charges. The illegal immigrants, including Regino-Garcia, face federal prosecution for immigration violations. The vehicle was seized.
Regino-Garcia, was first deported in 2012, and was deported again in 2016. Records checks revealed Regino-Garcia was convicted of molestation of a minor and sexual battery in 2015 in Fulton County, Georgia.
Regino-Garcia is the second sex offender arrested by Tucson Sector Border Patrol in the past 10 days with a conviction in Georgia. He will face federal prosecution for immigration violations.
All persons apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.
