Border officials arrest two suspects wanted for child abuse crimes

HIDALGO, Texas – Customs officials have arrested two men wanted on criminal warrants who were attempting to enter Mexico.

On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge referred 62-year-old Manuel Cuevas, a U.S. citizen from Welasco, Texas, for secondary screening.

During the inspection, officers used biometric information to identify Cuevas and searched his information against federal law enforcement databases.

After officers verified his identity, they discovered he was wanted on an outstanding child folding warrant issued by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

On Sunday, a second man, Humberto Juarez, 42, a U.S. citizen from Mission, Texas, was referred for a secondary evaluation.

Upon verifying his identity and reviewing his information in federal databases, it was discovered that Juarez had a warrant for his arrest for aggravated sexual assault of a child, also in Hidalgo County.

“Our CBP officers have uncovered two outstanding arrest warrants for two men wanted for sexual offenses involving a child,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “The heinous nature of the alleged crime and the commitment of our frontline officers to bring such alleged perpetrators to justice underscore and illustrate the importance of CBP’s border security mission.”

Both suspects were turned over to Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies for disposition of these warrants.