Border Patrol Agent Assaulted Near Eagle Pass
EAGLE PASS, Texas – An agent from the Eagle Pass South Station was assaulted while effecting the arrest of a Mexican man illegally present in the United States.
“Acts of violence against our agents will not be tolerated,” said Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Randy Davis. “This incident is an example of the threats faced by U.S. Border Patrol agents as they work to secure the border.”
On May 12, Border Patrol agents were tracking a group of suspected illegal aliens near the immigration checkpoint on Highway 57. As agents attempted to apprehend the suspected illegal aliens, a man in the group became combative and struck an agent. The agent was able to subdue the man and placed him under arrest after a brief struggle. The man was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. The agent was not seriously injured and did not request medical attention.
The man, a 44-year-old Mexican national has been arrested numerous times by U.S. Immigration officials and was deported from the United States in 2000. Records checks revealed an extensive criminal history in the United States, including an aggravated felony conviction in 1998 on multiple counts of transporting and selling narcotics, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison.
The man faces a charge of 18 USC § 111 – assault on a federal officer – and 8 USC § 1326 – reentry after deportation, which both carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the Joint Task Force-West South Texas Corridor, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. To report suspicious activity call the Del Rio Sector’s toll free number at 1-866-511-8727.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
