Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry detained a fugitive at the Gateway International Bridge who had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear stemming from an original felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“This apprehension of a wanted person by our CBP officers is a testament to their commitment to keep our communities safe,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
On Friday, April 25, CBP officers at the Gateway International Bridge referred pedestrian Yasser Ismail Abu Awwad Martínez, 23, a Mexican citizen, for secondary inspection. During the secondary examination, CBP officers–utilizing biometric verification and federal law enforcement databases–verified his identity and confirmed he was the subject of an outstanding felony warrant for failure to appear issued by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office in Olmito, Texas. Further records queries indicated Abu Awwad Martínez was arrested on Dec. 31, 2023, by the San Benito Police Department and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
CBP officers turned Abu Awwad Martínez over to the custody of Cameron County Sheriff’s Office.
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 and until proven guilty in a court of law.
