Tucson Standard

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from the Tucson Sector's Sonoita Station announced the arrest of six illegal immigrants in one vehicle and a smuggling scout in another on March 4, following the deployment of spike strips. The details were shared in a March 15 post on X by Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin.

According to McGoffin, an SUV fleeing from Sonoita agents was stopped after spike strips were deployed. Inside, agents found six illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala. A second vehicle was identified with a scout who had reportedly been smuggling the group. The driver of this second vehicle is facing charges of conspiracy to transport aliens.

The Sonoita station, established in 1989, was initially staffed with seven agents and one Patrol Agent in Charge. It is located near the junction of State Routes 82 and 83 in Santa Cruz County, approximately 25 miles north of the international border. Agents at this station patrol 24.3 linear miles of international border and nearly 1,000 square miles overall.

Screenshot of Sean McGoffin's March 15 post on X | X

The Tucson Sector encompasses much of Arizona, stretching about 262 miles from the New Mexico border to Yuma County’s border. According to CBP’s webpage dedicated to the sector, it employs around 3,700 agents across nine stations located in Why, Casa Grande, Douglas, Bisbee, Nogales, Sonoita, Tucson, Three Points, and Wilcox. Originally known as the Nogales Sector when established on July 1, 1924, its headquarters moved to Tucson two years later.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with safeguarding national borders and preventing illegal entry. Since its establishment in 1924, CBP has operated across 328 ports of entry while protecting 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.