Tucson Standard

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Tucson Sector have announced the arrest of three illegal immigrants who reportedly attempted to flee from a rollover crash, leaving the driver in critical condition. This information was provided in a CBP news release on April 1.

According to the CBP news release, the alleged smuggler involved in the incident is a U.S. citizen. The incident occurred near Parker Canyon Lake around 3 p.m. on March 29. CBP agents became suspicious of a vehicle traveling northbound from the border, and Sonoita Station agents later spotted the white Nissan Rogue on Route 83. The vehicle stopped, and three individuals were seen exiting and heading into the desert. Agents attempted to stop the Rogue and pursued it for four miles until they observed that the vehicle had crashed and rolled over. The driver was found unconscious outside the vehicle, prompting agents to call for medical assistance and move the driver to a safer location due to potential fire risks.

The news release states that two Guatemalans and a Mexican national were arrested for being illegally present in the U.S., facing charges of illegal reentry. Meanwhile, the driver, who was flown to a nearby hospital for medical care, faces charges of alien smuggling.

The Tucson Sector covers much of Arizona, stretching approximately 262 miles from the New Mexico border to Yuma County’s border. According to CBP’s webpage dedicated to this sector, it employs about 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 relocated to Tucson two years later.

The U.S. Border Patrol operates under the Department of Homeland Security as a federal law enforcement agency tasked with safeguarding national borders against illegal entry of people and contraband. Since its inception in 1924, it has been operating across 328 ports of entry while protecting approximately 7,000 miles of land borders and an extensive 95,000 miles of maritime borders.