by Matthew Holloway | Apr 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Sean McGoffin posted to social media Thursday detailed the apprehension of a Phoenix couple in Benson, AZ.
According to McGoffin’s account, a Phoenix couple, allegedly on a trip to Bisbee, AZ were stopped by the Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol in Benson and were found to be transporting three illegal immigrants. Border Patrol working with the AZ DPS took the driver and his girlfriend into custody along with the three illegal immigrants.
In his post McGoffin wrote, “The driver claimed he and his girlfriend were picking up some belongings in Bisbee when the 3 illegal aliens from Mexico asked for a ride.” Reportedly this wasn’t the driver’s first brush with human smuggling however, as McGoffin added, “Apparently, he didn’t learn not to smuggle aliens when he was sent to prison in 2022 for the same crime.”
According to the release, both the driver and his girlfriend are now facing charges under 8 USC 1324 for smuggling illegal aliens and the three illegal aliens will face charges under 8 USC 1182 for Alien Inadmissibility as well as re-entry restrictions under section 212 of immigration law.
McGoffin noted that the incident is under investigation by the Tucson Sector Border Patrol working in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona under U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. According to USCBP statistics, the Border Patrol has arrested 4,323 Criminal Non-Citizens encountered from Fiscal year 2025 to February, 289 of whom had outstanding warrants or wants, out of a total of 193,164 encounters including both Title 8 Apprehensions and Title 42 Expulsions.
The arrests are just the latest in a series of apprehensions in southern Arizona as previously reported by AZ Free News, that have seen local and state authorities working in conjunction with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Later the same day, McGoffin shared video footage of agents assigned to the Willcox Border Patrol Station interdicting and arresting a human smuggler who was transporting four illegal immigrants into the U.S. including one in the trunk of the car. He wrote, “Luckily, agents where there to thwart the illegal operation potentially saving lives.”
The smuggler will also be charged under 8 USC 1324 and the illegal aliens he was transporting will likewise be charged under 8 USC 1182. Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Two New Mexico teenagers were arrested near Palominas, Arizona, on charges that they transported three illegal immigrants on March 1st. The illegal immigrants were identified as Mexican nationals by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP’s Tucson Sector announced that as agents patrolled a well-known smuggling route, they observed a person wearing camouflage and began to investigate. While investigating, the agents spotted a black Dodge Ram pickup truck and initiated a traffic stop to perform an immigration inspection on the vehicle.
According to the agents, they discovered the teenagers, a male and female both aged 17, in the front of the vehicle with three older men attempting to conceal their presence in the back seat of the truck. The three men were confirmed to be Mexican nationals who had entered the U.S. illegally, while both the driver and front-passenger were confirmed to be U.S. citizens.
The driver and his female passenger were placed under arrest and transported to the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station, and the agents seized the pickup truck. The driver is facing prosecution for human trafficking, a felony under 8 U.S.C 1324 and could face anywhere between one and ten years in prison. The female passenger is not facing charges at this time.
According to the press release from CBP, the three illegal immigrants have all been previously removed from the U.S. and are now facing the reinstatement of their prior removal orders and will serve as material witnesses in the prosecution of the driver.
In a post to X, Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector John R. Modlin wrote, “A U.S. Citizen juvenile was arrested near Palominas, AZ for smuggling 3 illegal aliens. The 17-year-old smuggler faces felony charges of 8 USC 1324 Transporting an Alien Who is Unlawfully Present in the US.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 15, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
John R. Modlin, the Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector released a statement on Tuesday announcing that the Douglas Station Field Training Unit tracked, located, and apprehended three illegal immigrants west of Douglas, AZ. They were the most recent of over 1,600 illegal immigrants who were captured in the first week of December.
According to the posts on X and Facebook, “Douglas Station Field Training Unit tracked 3 migrants west of Douglas, AZ. As agents approached, 1 migrant ran, leaving behind a Guatemalan woman and her 5-year-old child. With the assistance of a USBP #K9, agents were able to apprehend the 17-year-old Mexican national.”
The 17-year-old Mexican national who fled was pictured in the post wearing carpet-like slips over his shoes designed to disguise his tracks, as well as desert camouflage leading to speculation that he may have been guiding the Guatemalan woman and child.
The apprehensions represented the third major interception in a matter of three days. Modlin’s office also posted imagery from the capture of five illegal immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico near SR-90 on December 1.
Another five illegal immigrants were arrested on Dec. 1st after the driver of the vehicle they were being smuggled in failed to yield on SR-85. Modlin’s office noted that “the occupants attempted to abscond into the desert but were quickly apprehended.”
In a post to X on Dec. 9, Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens shared footage of a dramatic helicopter rescue from the Arizona desert explaining, “USBP agents in Tucson Sector, with local sheriff’s air support, rescued an injured migrant in Arizona’s rugged mountains. BORSTAR agents provided critical medical care before airlifting the individual to safety. This highlights the harsh journey migrants face and the heroic efforts of our agents.”
In reviewing the week, as of December 6th, Modlin reported his sector had made 1,600 apprehensions, leading to 171 federal criminal cases. They also seized 19 lbs. of methamphetamine, 9 lbs. of cocaine, 6.7 lbs. of Heroin, and $2,032. They stopped 18 human smuggling events and 7 Narcotics Events. And they made six rescues.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 28, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Smugglers continue to exploit the crisis at America’s southern border.
Earlier this month, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, John R. Modlin, reported that members of his team had discovered the existence of two cloned Border Patrol vehicles in the field. He revealed that both vehicles were “intercepted by Three Points Station agents,” and he applauded “our vigilant agents for their unwavering dedication.”
Chief Modlin’s post followed one from Jason Owens, the 26th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, who had disclosed that one of the vehicles was involved in “a human smuggling event.” Chief Owens stated that “one agent was assaulted during the arrest of the USC driver & 11 undocumented subjects,” and that “criminal prosecution for the assault is being pursued.”
The “X” account for the Arizona Trooper’s FOP Lodge 32 weighed in on the news, writing, “The cartels are cloning Border Patrol vehicles AND assaulting Border Patrol Agents. This is beyond partisan talking points and virtue signaling. This is full blown anarchy and it has to stop.”
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp took notice of the announcement. She posted, “Every state is a border state.”
The crisis at the border continues to overwhelm Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement, as cartels and smugglers exploit the lawlessness for their benefit. The Tucson Border Sector, where the cloned vehicles were found, has been the epicenter of the border crisis, leading the nation in border apprehensions month after month.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 17, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another Border Patrol agent suffered injuries near Arizona’s southern border.
On Tuesday, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, John R. Modlin, announced that one of his agents had been injured while on duty. Chief Modlin wrote, “On February 13, 2024, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a vehicle being pursued by the Tohono O’odham Police Department struck a Border Patrol agent at the SR86 Immigration Checkpoint near Three Points, Arizona. Three Points Emergency Medical Services responded and determined the agent sustained non-life-threatening injuries; but airlifted the agent to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona for treatment.”
Modlin added that the “Federal Bureau of Investigation and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating.”
The incident in the Tucson Border Sector follows a number of recent episodes where federal or local law enforcement agents have been injured at their southern Arizona posts. In October 2023, Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin of CBP’s Yuma Sector announced that “a vehicle hit the checkpoint located on I-8 east of Yuma, critically injuring two of our agents. They are being treated for their injuries at a Phoenix-area hospital.”
Last fall, a Cochise County Deputy Sheriff was seriously injured as he attempted to stop a suspected smuggler, who was trying to evade apprehension in her vehicle. When talking to local media about the rash of similar incidents plaguing his county and department, Sheriff Mark Dannels said, “Just this week alone, I’ve had a patrol car damaged, I’ve had two officers, deputies that were trying to be run over by smuggler drivers. This is every day down here.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
