Man Arrested for Assault on CBP Officer at Del Rio Port of Entry

DEL RIO, Texas – A man landed in jail recently after an altercation at the Del Rio Port of Entry resulted in an injury to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer.

“The safety of our CBP officers during the performance of their duties is a top priority,” said Michael Perez, Port Director, Del Rio. “Any threats to their wellbeing while carrying out their assigned tasks will not be tolerated.”

Sunday afternoon, CBP officers inspecting a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer as it arrived from Mexico, referred the driver to Passport Control, for further review. The driver, a 36-year-old Mexican citizen, presented a Spanish passport as identification. During inspection, the man became upset and pulled documents from the hands of the inspecting officer. The man then proceeded to a nearby water fountain where he attempted to destroy the documents by soaking them with water, and then dispose of them in a trash can. When officers tried to restrain the man, he aggressively resisted and struggled with them, causing injury to one of the officers.

The driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution on a charge of assaulting/impeding a federal employee, 18 U.S.C. § 111.

The injured officer was taken to Val Verde Regional Medical Center where he was treated for shoulder injuries. The incident comes less than a month after a similar occurrence in which a local man was charged with making threats against a CBP officer during inspection at the Del Rio Port of Entry.

The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the U.S. while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.