Border Patrol agents in Arizona apprehended Cirilo Flores-Albino, 46, fewer than 20 yards north of the border.
Flores, who is from Mexico, was convicted in 2009 for indecent liberty with a child in Harnett County.
He is in federal custody pending prosecution for re-entry as an aggravated felon.
The Border Patrol said it conducts criminal history checks using biometrics on all detainees to make sure "illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified."