08/18/2010

News / CBP Stops Identity Thief after 23 Years of Posing as Another Person

Presidio, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Presidio port of entry arrested a man who has been living illegally in the United States for 23 years. The man was apprehended Sunday after attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico.

The arrest was made at approximately 10 pm Sunday when 44-year-old Gustavo Hernandez Pena applied for entry at the Presidio international crossing. The subject presented a legal permanent resident card (LPR) in the name of another individual. CBP officers queried the document and found that the person named on the LPR card had recently been deported. CBP officers continued their examination and learned that Gustavo Hernandez Pena had used another person’s birth certificate and work documents to establish LPR status 23 years ago. CBP officers arrested the man for immigration violations (8 USC 1325) and booked him into the Brewster County Jail. Gustavo Hernandez Pena was living in Iowa before he was arrested Sunday

“The thorough examination process CBP officers employ at area ports identified this person as an imposter,” said John Prewit, CBP Presidio Port Director. “Time ran out on his long running charade when he met CBP at the Presidio port of entry.”

CBP officers at the El Paso port of entry arrested 39-year-old Jose Pascual Duran of Juarez, Mexico as an inadmissible alien. He is being charged with reentry after deportation. He had been previously removed from the U.S. by order of an immigration judge in 2009 after a series of criminal offenses to include sexual assault of a child, assault, DWI and other violations dating back to 1999.

The apprehension was made at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing in downtown El Paso. CBP officers were performing inspections when they suspected that Jose Pascual Duran was an imposter and selected him for a secondary examination. CBP officers used the IDENT automated biometric identification system to confirm his actual identity as a previously deported felon. CBP officers arrested the subject on reentry after deportation charges and booked him into the El Paso County Jail.

“It is an everyday occurrence for CBP officers to identify and stop imposters who try to utilize legitimate entry documents to enter the U.S.,” said William Molaski, CBP El Paso port director. “In this case the person they stopped has proven to be a threat to the citizens of the United States.”

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/08172010_7.xml

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