RUMFORD – Two men were arrested Thursday for being illegally present in the United States, according to the Rumford Police Department.
Adrian De La Cruz-Alacron, 29, and Alfredo Estaban Vasquez, 26, both from Mexico, were arrested by Border Patrol agents and taken to the Border Patrol station in Rangeley for processing.
Rumford Police Chief Tony Milligan said that on Thursday afternoon, Rumford police officers on Operation Stonegarden duty received a tip that a foreign national male, who was illegally present in the United States, was driving a vehicle in the vicinity of Falmouth Street.
Operation Stonegarden, which started in 2005, is a federally funded border security enhancement program in which deputies help the U.S. Border Patrol monitor the boundary between Maine and Canada.
According to Milligan, the Rumford Police Department has been a participating member in the program for a number of years.
Milligan said that the officers followed the man to the Hannaford Supermarket and saw him, along with a second man, exit the vehicle.
“(Cruz-Alacron) identified himself to officers as Carlos Adrian Quintero Rivera,” Milligan said. “Officers determined it was a fake identity and contacted the U.S. Border Patrol in Rangeley for assistance.”
Both men were charged with “being an alien illegally present in the United States,” according to Milligan.
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
