The Navajo County Sheriff’s Department (NCSO) confirmed on Monday that five men who allegedly robbed a train in Joseph City are illegal immigrants and are being held on a federal immigration hold.
Law enforcement confirmed in a news release that five men were arrested in Joseph City for robbing a BNSF Railway train as it was parked, explaining police received a call reporting suspicious activity and found the suspects in a vehicle containing tools that could be used to break into a train car.
In a Monday update to its release posted to social media, the sheriff’s department added that all five train robbery suspects are in the United States illegally “and are being held on an immigration hold.”
The news release named the suspects: Eren Morales-Sepulveda, Osiele Morales-Sepulveda, Oscar Morales Sepulveda, Jesus Ruiz-Urias, and Adan Morales-Mendivi. They were booked into Navajo County Jail for burglary and possession of burglary tools.
Before police encountered them, the NCSO press release explains deputies discovered “damage to a train boxcar” before encountering a vehicle that matched an earlier description of the suspects’ vehicle.
“Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and located 5 individuals. Inside the vehicle were burglary tools that could be utilized to cut locks,” the press release explained before adding that the agency requested support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the men were arrested.
The arrests came as illegal immigration remains a critical issue to many Americans and as more than 9 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
A report released last year estimated illegal immigration annually costs Arizona almost $3.2 billion, with taxpayers spending about $5,230 per illegal immigrant in the state. Nearly half of the money goes to education, while just over $600 million is earmarked for law enforcement, and the rest is divided between health care, public assistance, and other government services.
Despite the illegal immigration crisis, Governor Katie Hobbs recently vetoed the Arizona Border Invasion Act, which would have made it a crime to enter Arizona anywhere except for legal ports of entry and would have allowed law enforcement to arrest those suspected of entering illegally.
The lawmaker who sponsored the bill, State Senator Janae Shamp (R-District 29), called the governor’s veto a “slap in the face” and said Hobbs “failed” the job of protecting Arizona.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
