EAGLE PASS, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Eagle Pass Port of Entry apprehended a man wanted on felony warrant for a child sex offense.

“CBP works closely with our law enforcement partners to apprehend fugitives from justice,” said Port Director Pete Beattie. “Partnership among law enforcement agencies is critical in protecting our communities.”

On Sunday, March 31, CBP officers at Camino Real International Bridge referred driver Jose Fidel Romero Puente, 53, a lawful permanent U.S. resident, for secondary inspection. During secondary examination, CBP officers utilizing biometric verification and federal law enforcement databases verified his identity and discovered that he was the subject of outstanding felony arrest warrant for sex offense against a child-fondling issued by Travis County Sheriff’s Office in Austin, Texas. CBP officers turned Romero Puente over to Maverick County Sheriff’s Office for adjudication of the warrant.

The National Crime Information Center is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.