Colombian migrant on terror watchlist is arrested for crossing illegally into Eagle Pass just days before Donald Trump's visit to Texas border city

A Colombian migrant on the terror watchlist was arrested after illegally crossing the border into a Texas city, just hours before Donald Trump visited the area last month.

Colombian national Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya, 40, was arrested in Eagle Pass, Texas on February 21 by border agents, the New York post reported. 

The arrest came just days before Trump arrived at the border city to be briefed on border security by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on February 29

Yepez-Bedoya was determined he was a 'positive match' with the terror watchlist, according to an internal agency memo seen by the Post. 

The Colombian national was flagged as a 'group member' on the memo, allegedly indicating that he is associated with an unspecified terror organization, according to the publication. 

A Colombian migrant on the terror watchlist was arrested after illegally crossing the border into a Texas city, just hours before Donald Trump visited the area last month

The Del Rio sector of the border, which includes Eagle Pass, was the busiest area for illegal crossings in 2022 and 2023

The 40-year-old was caught illegally crossing into the US by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

After making an initial arrest the DPS then alerted the Border Patrol to come pick him up, the Post reported. 

The arrest was made as part of Operation Lone Star, in which Texas uses its National Guard and law enforcement units to assist in securing the border.

The US Customs and Border Patrol did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.  

Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told The Post the arrest of Yepez-Bedoya underscored the need for Texas to take steps to secure the border while the federal government is falling short.

'This underscores the need for border security measures as potential threats to both public safety and national security are evident and exploit security vulnerabilities' Olivarez said. 

Adding: 'The federal government has failed to enact border security measures, and the state of Texas, through Governor Abbott's Operation Lone Star, will continue to take unprecedented action to help secure the border.' 

Trump, who has consistently criticized his successor over the crisis, visited the border fence in Eagle Pass last Thursday,.

The former president was shown barbed wire along the river by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and spoke to border guards who have been dealing with the surge in crossers - while Biden visited another border site 324 miles away.

Trump arrived at the border city to be briefed on border security by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on February 29

Trump gestures near the bank of the Rio Grande River at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass last Thursday

Trump said the U.S. is at 'war' at the border because of 'Joe Biden's invasion' 

Trump speaks to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has been in a face-off with the Biden administration over who has jurisdiction to deal with migrants in Eagle Pass 

'You're in a war,' the 77-year-old Republican frontrunner told frontline agents in Eagle Pass.

'This is a military operation' he added. 

The Del Rio sector of the border, which includes Eagle Pass, was the busiest area for illegal crossings in 2022 and 2023.

Across the whole border U.S. Border Patrol had nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants in December 2023.

The border visits came as immigration explodes to become the biggest issue in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

A Gallup poll found 28 percent of Americans now believe immigration is the biggest problem facing America, more than cite the economy or inflation..

The figure was a record high since Gallup began polling voters on their views about immigration in 1981.

Earlier, Trump accused Biden of allowing a 'horrible invasion' of the United States and said 'migrant crime is taking over America'.

Biden toured the border city of Brownsville, Texas, 325 miles to the east last week 

He also vowed to carry out the 'largest domestic deportation operation in American history' if re-elected.

Public concern about illegal immigration is higher under Biden's presidency than it was under the last two administrations.

In the latest Gallup poll the percentage of Americans citing immigration as the biggest problem was up eight points from last month.

Other leading issues were the 'government' on 20 percent, the economy on 12 percent and inflation on 11 percent.

The 28 percent of voters citing immigration surpassed the previous record of 27 percent in a Gallup poll in July 2019 when there was a surge at the border.