Oops!
Turns out it is not a good idea to steal the identity of a Border Patrol agent — especially if you are an illegal immigrant trying to use that identity to lie to Border Patrol officers.
Orlando Castaneda-Diaz, a Mexican national who illegally entered the U.S. last week, learned that lesson the hard way.
Border Patrol apprehended Castaneda-Diaz at the Falfurrias, Texas checkpoint Thursday after officers recognized the individual on the Texas driver’s license Castaneda-Diaz presented to them as a fellow Falfurrias area Border Patrol agent, identified as “David”, according to a local KGBT-TV report.
Once Border Patrol brought Castaneda-Diaz in for questioning, he admitted he was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and agents also found a Social Security card and birth certificate with agent “David’s” name on them in Castaneda-Diaz’s wallet.
In a redacted — to shield the identity of officer “David” — federal court account of the incident published by KGBT-TV, Diaz admitted he purchased the documents in Matamoros, Mexico for $2,000 and shaved his hair to look more like agent “David’s” picture on the Texas drivers’ license.
According to the report, Castaneda-Diaz has been charged with making a false claim to U.S. citizenship and has a detention hearing this week.