2 Pakistani nationals held for illegally entering US

New York: Two Pakistani citizens have been held by border patrol agents here for entering the US illegally.

On September 1, an individual reported to border authorities two suspicious males walking on a road near the international border between the US and Canada.

Border Patrol agents located the two males and determined both were citizens of Pakistan who had no legal status to be in or remain in the US, according to a press release issued recently by the US Customs and Border Protection.

Aftab Akbar Hussain (41) had been previously removed from the US in 2013 by an immigration judge. Hussain had been convicted for possession of a controlled substance (Ecstasy) in California and sentenced to two years in jail, it said.

Hussain has also been charged with reentry of a previously removed alien. Illegal reentry is a felony that carries the penalty of a fine and up to 2 years in prison. Hussain is currently being detained by the Department of Justice and criminally prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York, the release said.

The second male, age 33, had illegally entered the US from Canada and was expelled back to Canada, it said.

The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York. The nearly 300 miles of border within Swanton Sector is the US Border Patrol's busiest northern border sector for illegal cross-border activity.