by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk
Fri, September 20th 2024 at 4:43 PM
Updated Fri, September 20th 2024 at 4:44 PM
A Border Patrol agent leads a group of migrants seeking asylum towards a van to be transported and processed, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, near Dulzura, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (TND) — An illegal migrant bit a Border Patrol agent at a crossing near Sunland Park, New Mexico Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to The National Desk (TND).
Officials told TND Friday an agent at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station responded to a group of undocumented migrants attempting to cross the border. While arresting one individual, the agent “was physically assaulted,” during which they were bitten.
The agent received “non-life-threatening injuries” and was taken to a nearby medical facility. One migrant was arrested for assault and also taken to a medical facility, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The incident follows news of a Honduran migrant living in New Mexico illegally being charged with kidnapping and conspiracy after allegedly capturing other migrants entering the country. Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana, 30, is accused of conspiring with a group of other Hondurans to kidnap migrants crossing the southern border and hold them for ransom.
The group allegedly kept these individuals at “stash houses” throughout Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.
“Everyone in this country who is a victim of a serious crime is protected by U.S. law and this case is no exception,” Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said of the matter. “The exploitation of vulnerable individuals and their families will be fully investigated by the FBI and its law enforcement partners.”
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