A citizen of Mexico apprehended at a traffic stop in Port Hadlock and a former gang member arrested in Oak Harbor were among 22 foreign nationals — including nine from India — who were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Blaine sector Dec. 19-Jan. 8, according to the agency’s latest compilation of arrests.
The Border Patrol arrest report is not a full report of all arrests; it includes incidents selected by the Blaine sector office and does not include arrests that result in ongoing investigations.
The Blaine sector includes Oregon, Alaska and the western half of Washington state, though agents are stationed only in Washington state and go to Oregon and Alaska only on “an outreach basis,” Blaine sector spokesman Richard Sinks said Wednesday.
The person in Port Hadlock was arrested on New Year’s Day after a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy had requested backup from the Border Patrol.
Also Jan. 1, a Honduran citizen who said he was a former member of the gang MS-13 was arrested after the Border Patrol answered a request for assistance from the Oak Harbor Police Department.
The man said he was a member of the gang, which has a strong presence in Los Angeles, before he illegally entered the U.S.
MS 13 — Mara Salvatrucha — is a transnational gang that was set up by Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles and has a strong presence in Los Angeles, Boston, Houston and Washington, D.C., according to www.npr.org and www.MS13gang.
All of the arrests in the two weeks of Border Patrol reports resulted in the person, or persons, who was illegally in the U.S. being processed for removal from the country.
Arrests listed in report
Here are the incidents:
■ Dec. 22: Three citizens of India were apprehended who were hiding in brush near the U.S.-Canada border east of Sumas.
■ Dec. 22: Two citizens of Mexico who crossed illegally into the U.S. from Canada near Blaine were apprehended almost immediately after they crossed the border.
■ Dec. 22: A request for assistance from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office near Ferndale resulted in the arrest of a Mexican national.
The person had previously been removed from the U.S. and had a prior conviction for possession of a controlled substance.
■ Dec. 24: A remote video surveillance system captured images of a person walking south from the U.S.-Canada border west of the Peach Arch port of entry in Blaine.
The person was a Canadian citizen who admitted to entering the U.S. illegally.
■ Dec. 25: A remote-video surveillance system recorded a person walking south from the U.S.-Canada border north of Lynden.
The person, a citizen of El Salvador, admitted to just crossing illegally into the U.S. from Canada.
■ Dec. 28: A Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office request for assistance near the Blaine border crossing resulted in the arrest of a Mexican citizen.
■ Jan. 1: The operator of a remote-video surveillance system near Blaine saw a citizen of Mexico crossing into the U.S. from Canada.
The person was processed for reinstatement of a prior order of removal.
■ Jan. 2: Two Mexican nationals were arrested during a traffic stop near Bellingham after a Whatcom County sheriff’s deputy made a request for assistance.
■ Jan. 3: A citizen of Costa Rica was arrested after a vehicle stop north of Lynden. The driver, who had a prior conviction for driving under the influence, admitted to illegally being in the U. S.
■ Jan. 4: Border Patrol agents encountered an Indian national near the U.S.-Canada border near Blaine who admitted to recently crossing illegally into the U.S.
■ Jan. 7: Agents who were performing a vehicle stop north of Lynden arrested a Mexican citizen who admitted to illegally being in the U.S.
■ Jan. 8: Remote-video system operators alerted agents that five people had crossed illegally into the U.S. from Canada north of Lynden.
Agents encountered them fleeing the area on foot. All were citizens of India.