EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A convicted rapist was part of a camouflage-clad group of migrants found hiding in caves on Sunday in Presidio, Texas.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Big Bend Sector spotted their footprints the night before near the Rio Grande. With the assistance of a CBP Alpine Air Unit the following afternoon, agents found 12 undocumented immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico hiding in caves, according to a news release.

Agents said the migrants, who were all determined to be in the country illegally, wore camouflage and had carpet attached to the soles of their shoes, which is used to help hide footprints while trekking through the desert. Photos provided by the Border Patrol show agents on horseback escorting the group down a desert road.

Migrants attach carpet to the soles of their shoes, which is used to help hide footprints while trekking through the desert. (Courtesy U.S. Border Patrol)

While processing the group, agents said they discovered that one of the men, Jose Jose Baltazar of Guatemala, had served time for rape and was recently deported back to his country. Police arrested Jose Baltzar in 2015 in Seymour, Indiana. In Jackson County Court, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to five years in prison. Jose Baltazar was sent back to Guatemala on Jan. 23, 2019.

“The apprehensions made by our agents in the desert of West Texas have a direct impact to the safety of the communities in which we live and work,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak said in a statement. “They also have a direct impact to the communities in the interior of the United States. This individual previously pleaded guilty to rape and he will not be going back to that community.”

According to the release, Baltazar’s previous Order of Removal will be reinstated and he will be deported to Guatemala after his immigration-court hearing and sentencing.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrest 12 migrants from Guatemala and Mexico on Dec. 1, 2019 in Presidio, Texas. (Courtesy U.S. Border Patrol)