Border Patrol: Guatemalan man convicted of child rape re-entered U.S. via El Paso

A father who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally with his daughter is a convicted rapist, the U.S. Border Patrol said. U.S. Border Patrol Agents working in downtown El Paso arrested the father last Thursday.

The morning of March 7, 2019, Border Patrol Agents working along the border near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry arrested a man identified as 40-year-old Santos Quinilla-Tum. He was traveling with his 17-year-old daughter, also taken into custody. The Border Patrol said the father and daughter are both from Guatemala.

Agents reviewed records and learned about Quinilla’s prior criminal history and deportation. Quinilla was arrested on March 22, 2005 in Massachusetts and charged with Rape of Child with Force, a felony. Quinilla was later found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Quinilla was subsequently deported to Guatemala in 2009.

Quinilla will be facing prosecution for the felony of reentering the U.S. illegally after a deportation, officials said.

“Criminal aliens continuously attempt to exploit the loopholes of our immigration system, but thanks to the vigilance of Border Patrol Agents and the tools and systems they employ, their prior crimes in the United States come to light,” said the federal agency in a news release, “Border Patrol agents continue to see large numbers of illegal aliens come into their custody but maintain their vigilance to identify those convicted criminals and set them up for prosecution.”