U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Buffalo sector played a crucial role in the arrest and identification of a man who was allegedly trying to purchase and lure a child into his vehicle. This announcement was made by Chief Patrol Agent Thomas G. Martin on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Martin stated, "Last week, US Border Patrol agents from the Buffalo Sector arrested a 64-year-old male citizen from Tunisia who was harassing a mother, her children and attempted to entice her 5-year-old into his vehicle."
A press release by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that Monji Jelassi, a 64-year-old Tunisian citizen, was arrested by agents on December 2nd. It is reported that Jelassi's initial apprehension was conducted by the Perry Police Department after they received reports of a man accosting a woman and her children.
The woman informed law enforcement officials that Jelassi had approached her with an offer to "purchase" her 5-year-old child and subsequently tried to coax the child into his car. The only form of identification Jelassi possessed at the time was a foreign-issued international driver’s license.
Patrol Agent in Charge David Banks commented on the situation saying, "Removing this individual is a matter of public safety and aligns with the interests of our law enforcement partners to remove predators and other dangerous people from our communities."
The press release further detailed that border patrol agents confirmed Jelassi's identity on December 6th and discovered he was residing in the country on an expired visa. Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement incarcerated Jelassi at the Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, N.Y., where he remains pending a deportation hearing for charges under Section 212 and 237 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Agents operating within the Buffalo sector oversee 341 linear maritime border miles between ports of entry in New York and Pennsylvania.
