Gang member uses asylum seekers as cover to enter US

Border Patrol agents discovered that an MS-13 gang member was using asylum seekers as a cover to enter the United States illegally Saturday evening, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

CBP said they encountered 29-year-old Jose Villalobos-Jobel just east of the Calexico Port of Entry at approximately 6:09 p.m. and asked for an extensive inspection.

During their interview, Villalobos-Jobel told agents he was a Honduran citizen and active gang member with the notorious Mara Salvatrucha 13 international crime organization.

CBP said Villalobos-Jobel also claimed to have traveled to the border with a large group of people from Central America intending on filing for asylum in the US.

Record checks showed that he was a citizen of Honduras and his gang involvement with the intent of entering the US illegally.

Villalobos-Jobel was taken to El Centro Station for further questioning and will be removed to Honduras.