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.
