Former Pastor Arrested for Sex Crimes

A former pastor from Mexico, Salvador Suazo-Garcia, was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents after escaping to Southern California. He was wanted in Mexico for allegations of child molestation.

Suazo-Garcia had entered the U.S. legally in May 2021, but his visa was revoked due to the serious charges against him, as per the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

On March 6, agents in Lemon Grove detained him after monitoring his activities. Reports from Mexican media indicate that authorities were able to trace his movements through shared intelligence and apprehended him while he was driving a truck marked with his electrical company’s logo. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently turned over to the Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office.

Details regarding the specifics of the alleged abuse in Mexico weren’t provided. In a separate case, Silvia del Rosario Torres Castro, another Mexican national wanted for murder, was arrested in Anaheim on February 26. Like Suazo-Garcia, she was tracked down and taken into custody before being handed over to Mexican authorities; however, no details of her alleged crime have been disclosed either. Torres Castro reportedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2023.

Both arrests underscore a point made by DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Biss, who noted that some immigrants classified as “non-criminals” in the U.S. may still be fugitives for severe offenses in their home countries. Biss expressed relief that these individuals are now in Mexico facing justice, mentioning the safety concerns posed by criminals residing in the U.S.

According to DHS statistics, nearly 70% of undocumented immigrants detained by ICE have prior convictions or pending charges in the U.S., not including those wanted for violent crimes elsewhere.