Scott urges border enhancements as convicted child predators arrested by authorities

By Eric Daugherty

Published Aug. 14, 2023, 3:43 p.m. ET | Updated Aug. 14, 2023

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott speaking with attendees at the 2021 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., July 17, 2021. (Photo/Gage Skidmore, Flickr)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., reiterated the need for increase border protections Monday in reaction to a report of two convicted child sex predators being picked up by U.S. Border Patrol in Tuscon, Arizona.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin released the photos of the migrants on social media platform X.

One migrant, Edgar Torres Martinez, was convicted in 2010 in Utah for Sexual Abuse of a Child, Modlin said.

Another, Fentanez Salgado-Gildardo, was previously convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 in California, Modlin said.

The agent said both are facing criminal charges.

“This is exactly why I’ve introduced legislation to keep criminals and deadly drugs OUT by giving @CBP the tools they need to SECURE THE BORDER,” Scott said. “Allowing Biden’s open borders to put our families’ safety at risk IS NOT an option.”

Scott proposed the CHECKPOINT Act in July, which aims to bolster security operations and ensure certain security staffs that help secure the border are well-staffed, consistently.

Earlier this year, Scott also lead other national lawmakers in reintroducing the Upholding the Law at Our Border Act.

“Thanks to the Biden administration’s open border and amnesty policies, more than 5 million known migrants have illegally crossed the southern border,” he said at the time. “President Biden is laying out a welcome mat for human traffickers and savage cartels bringing drugs, like fentanyl, and crime to our communities.”

“The administration is either intentionally keeping local law enforcement and communities in the dark, or willfully breaking U.S. laws by letting unvetted immigrants roam freely across America,” he added. “We can’t allow them to continue recklessly ignoring U.S. law and putting families at risk.”

Scott has been frequently critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border, telling Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to “DO YOUR DANG JOB” on the border in May.