Grand Canyon Times

John R. Modlin, U.S. Border Patrol’s chief patrol agent in the Tucson Sector, posted on X about some significant arrests made during June, as well as the types of encounters border patrol agents have every day. 

"Three Points Station agents made another significant arrest Thursday afternoon," Modlin wrote on X on June 18. "Gerado Campuzano-Ortiz, a Mexican citizen, was arrested south of Sells, AZ. Records revealed a 2012 felony conviction of a sex crime in Oregon."

"He faces criminal charges." Modlin reported

Modlin joined the US Border Patrol in 1995 and has since worked in a variety of positions in the San Diego Sector, Detroit Sector, Miami Sector, and several posts on either coast. 

Another post from Modlin details an attempted attack on a border patrol agent on June 27. "While a Douglas Station agent was patrolling the border, an unidentified subject in Mexico threw a large rock, striking the agent's vehicle," he wrote. "This is just one example of the dangers agents face on a daily basis. Smugglers will try anything to disrupt border security."

Three Points agents also arrested Edy Vasquez-Rabanales, a Guatemalan national, near Sells, on June 4. Vasquez-Rabanales is a former Guatemalan police officer who has an active Interpol warrant out of Guatemala on charges of kidnapping and the murder of a Canadian citizen.

During fiscal year 2024 to date, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has arrested 35,178 illegal aliens who have previous criminal convictions or who are wanted by law enforcement, according to an analysis of CBP Data conducted by Tucson Standard.

The Tucson Border Sector, which covers most of the state of Arizona and includes 262 miles of border along Mexico, has the highest encounter rate of any sector along the southwest border with 406,441 encounters this year, as of July 8. 

In April of this year, a border patrol agent was attacked by Oro Valley resident Erik Alberto Beal while attempting to take custody of an illegal alien who jumped the International Boundary Fence in front of agents in Nogales. Beal confronted the agent during their search for the suspect who crossed the border, and pointed a .45 caliber pistol at the agent. Beal was subdued and taken into custody, and was later indicted on two counts of Assault of a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.