Justin De La Torre, Border Patrol Chief of the Yuma Sector, said that Blythe Station agents arrested three undocumented individuals from Mexico and Guatemala during a vehicle stop, while a U.S. citizen passenger was released. The statement was made on X.
“Blythe Station agents conducted a vehicle stop and discovered three out of four subjects in the vehicle were illegal aliens,” said De La Torre. “Mexican national and two Guatemalans were arrested and will be charged with entry without inspection under 8 USC 1325 and alien inadmissibility under 8 USC 1182. They will also be processed for removal from the U.S.”
In August 2025, Blythe Station agents in the Yuma Sector conducted a vehicle stop where three of four occupants were determined to be in the U.S. unlawfully. In another case, agents intercepted a smuggling attempt on Interstate 40 involving 31 migrants from Mexico. These incidents illustrate Blythe Station’s role in checkpoint and highway interdictions across northwest Arizona and southeast California, as reported by U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector.
According to the Department of Justice, in May 2025, the District of Arizona filed 310 immigration cases in a single week, including 170 prosecutions under 8 U.S.C. §1325 for illegal entry and 125 under §1326 for illegal reentry. These numbers reflect a continued emphasis on prosecuting both misdemeanor entry and felony reentry offenses in Arizona’s border sectors.
WOLA’s October 2024 analysis of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data found that Mexican and Guatemalan nationals continue to represent the largest groups apprehended in Arizona, particularly in the Tucson Sector. Although the total number of encounters fluctuates, the dominance of these two nationalities in arrests at Arizona checkpoints and crossings reflects broader regional migration patterns.
De La Torre is the Chief Patrol Agent for the Yuma Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, a position he assumed in 2025 after serving as Deputy Chief in the Tucson Sector. He began his career in the San Diego Sector and now brings nearly 25 years of experience in field operations and leadership. His focus includes adapting enforcement strategies to shifting migration trends, as reported by Arizona’s Family.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is tasked with safeguarding the nation’s borders and preventing illegal entry, as outlined on its history webpage. Since its establishment in 1924, CBP has operated across 328 ports of entry, protecting 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.
