Border Patrol Agent Shoots Illegal Immigrant After Alleged Assault

A Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agent shot and wounded an illegal immigrant during an arrest.

A Border Patrol agent assigned to the Eagle Pass Station attempted to arrest a Honduran national after he crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico on the morning of September 4. During the arrest, the 48-year-old Honduran assaulted the Border Patrol agent, according to Del Rio Sector officials.

The agent drew his service-issued weapon and fired, striking the man in the arm. The agent then arrested and called for medical assistance for the subject. Officials said the agent was not injured during the assault.

An ambulance transported the Honduran to a San Antonio-area hospital where doctors treated him for the gunshot wound to his arm. Doctors released the subject to Border Patrol agents later that day. Officials notified the Honduran consulate about the shooting. Border Patrol agents transported the man to the Eagle Pass South Station and processed him according to Del Rio Sector guidelines.

The agent involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. This is standard procedure for an agent-involved shooting, Border Patrol officials stated. The investigation into the assault on the agent and the subsequent shooting will be carried out by teams from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

The last report available from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials states that 559 agents were assaulted between October 1, 2017, and May 31, 2018. Despite repeated requests by Breitbart Texas, this information has not been updated for nearly three months. CBP officials provided no explanation as to why the information is being withheld.