U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry arrested a woman wanted in Bexar County, Texas, on multiple sex-related felony warrants. The arrest took place on December 17 at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
According to CBP, officers referred Melanie Sustaita Rivera, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen traveling as a pedestrian, for secondary inspection. During this process, biometric verification through law enforcement databases revealed that Rivera had outstanding felony warrants. These included a probation violation related to an original charge of indecency with a child by exposure from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and a warrant for sexual offender-absconded issued by the San Antonio Police Department. Rivera was taken to county jail pending adjudication of these warrants.
Port Director Michael Martinez of Progreso Port of Entry commented on the arrest: “Our frontline CBP officers continue to maintain strict vigilance amid rising holiday traffic and that attention to detail yielded the apprehension of a woman wanted on outstanding warrants stemming from original alleged sex-related offenses involving a child. These kinds of apprehensions perfectly exemplify our border security mission and our efforts to help keep our communities safe.”
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database played a key role in identifying Rivera’s warrants. NCIC is used by law enforcement agencies across the country to share information about individuals wanted for various offenses.
CBP stated that criminal charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
CBP describes itself as America’s largest law enforcement organization and unified border management agency, with over 67,000 personnel working nationwide.
