The Federal Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico sentenced five Dominican immigrants on September 2 for entering American territory through an unauthorized site – specifically Puerto Rico – illegally and repeatedly, and eluding the necessary immigration checkpoint, the Border Patrol reported.

Federal Magistrate Marcos Lopez sentenced Roberto Berroa Nuñez and Juana Rosario Marte to 30 days in prison, Maria Mercedes de Jesus to 45 days in prison, and Pedro Antonio Carrion Baez and Jose San Quintin Alvarez to time served.

The five undocumented immigrants were detained on August 3, after an intense search by the Border Patrol and the Puerto Rican police, along with another 17 undocumented immigrants, who arrived by boat to Guanajibo, in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, it was reported.

According to the statement, in this case and many others, the data stored in the immigration's computer system allowed the Border Patrol to verify the identity of the individuals who try to enter the territory illegally, identify previous crimes, and confirm any recurrence.

The collaboration between the Border Patrol, the Puerto Rican police force, and the Federal Attorney General's office have made it possible to apply the immigration laws with greater rigor on the Island, it was reported. The same partners form part of the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG), which facilitates the documentation of illegal entry and the deportation of undocumented immigrants to their country of origin, according to a written statement.

The CBIG consists of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, specifically the Border Patrol, the office of Field Operations, the Air-Sea Division, and the Coast Guard service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Rapid Action United Forces of the Puerto Rican police force, and the Federal Attorney General's office.