EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 23-year-old Cuban national was convicted on Friday, June 27, in El Paso of illegally crossing into a military zone, according to the news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
According to the news release by the Attorney’s Office, Narali Arevalo-Casay, 23, was convicted by a federal jury for one count of violating a defense property security regulation.
Court documents and evidence presented in the trial showed that Arevalo-Casay illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande on May 7, less than a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, the Attorney’s Office said.
According to the Attorney’s Office, following the jury’s verdict, U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres sentenced Arevalo-Casay to time served.
The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison, according to the Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case, the news release read.
In addition, the Department of Defense has designated a third military zone in Southern Texas, according to the Associated Press.
The new military zone spans across two counties and includes cities such as Brownsville and McAllen. This national defense area will be “treated as an extension” of Joint Base San Antonio, the Associated Press said.
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