Justin De La Torre, Border Patrol Chief of the Yuma Sector, said that Wellton Station agents arrested an El Salvadoran national carrying a fraudulent permanent resident card who also faces child pornography charges. The statement was made on X.
“Wellton Station agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador in possession of a fraudulent permanent resident card,” said De La Torre.
In August 2025, Wellton Station agents arrested a Salvadoran national in possession of a fraudulent permanent resident card during a checkpoint stop. This incident underscores how counterfeit and impostor documents are used by migrants to attempt entry through Arizona’s border corridors. Such cases highlight the ongoing challenge of document fraud at Yuma Sector checkpoints, as reported by the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector.
According to sector updates, Arizona prosecutes multiple fraudulent document cases under 18 U.S.C. §1546, including a Wellton Station arrest of a Chinese national visa overstay found with false immigration paperwork. That arrest was referred for §1546 prosecution, demonstrating active enforcement against fraudulent documents at Yuma-area checkpoints.
The Department of Homeland Security reports that immigration enforcement often uncovers additional crimes such as child exploitation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported in August 2025 the arrests of multiple sexual predators and child abusers during immigration operations. These cases illustrate how routine immigration arrests can lead to prosecutions for far more serious criminal activity.
De La Torre is the Chief Patrol Agent of the Yuma Sector, appointed in 2025 after serving as Deputy Chief in Tucson and starting his career in the San Diego Sector nearly 25 years ago. He has held leadership posts across multiple regions and now oversees operations in Arizona, emphasizing adaptation to shifting encounter patterns.
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. 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.
