Federal prosecutors have filed charges against several individuals for assaulting U.S. Border Patrol agents in separate incidents along the southern border, highlighting an ongoing concern for officer safety.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico
According to court documents, on August 20, 2023, a Border Patrol agent pursued a group of migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border. The agent located Juventino Darinel Reyes-Fuentes, 30, a Mexican national, and began to arrest him, but Juventinoresisted and attempted to reach for the agent’s weapon. The agent fired at Juventino, shooting his wallet and phone. Juventino’sbrother, Jose Maria Reyes-Fuentes, 24, also a Mexican national, then approached and assaulted the agent. A struggle ensued as the brothers wrestled the firearm away from the agent. The brothers then stole the agent’s ATV and fled but were later apprehended by other agents.
Juventino and Jose both pled guilty in federal court to assault upon a federal officer involving physical contact and were each sentenced to 16 months in prison.
In another case, Edwin Esau Fuentes-Galea, a Salvadoran national, assaulted a U.S. Border Patrol agent near Santa Teresa, NM, on January 26, 2024. Fuentes resisted arrest, threw sand and dirt at the agent, and bit him during the struggle. His actions resulted in visible injuries to the agent, who required medical treatment.
Fuentes-Galea pled guilty to assaulting a federal officer on May 8, 2024, and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
On September 19, 2024, Ricardo Prieto-Simental, 25, a Mexican national, was approached by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. When agents attempted to detain Prieto-Simental, who was suspected of being in the country illegally, Prieto-Simental fled from agents and then attempted to break a cell phone on a rock, and then threw the phone as a Border Patrol Agent’s head. The Border Patrol agent then attempted to place handcuffs on Prieto-Simental, who then began punching, kicking, and biting the Border Patrol agent. Prieto-Simental bit the agent on the left forearm, breaking the skin and resulting in a bite mark and bruising.
Prieto-Simental was charged with assault of a federal agent and has been detained pending trial.
In a similar case, Enrique Rodriguez-Salazar, 26, a Mexican national, was approached by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Santa Teresa, New Mexico on September 26, 2024. When agents attempted to detain Rodriguez, who was laying on the ground, he resisted and threw a handful of dirt into an agent’s face, hitting him in the eyes. After being hit, the agent deployed his taser and was able to subdue Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was charged with assault of a federal agent and appeared before a federal judge and was detained pending the resolution of his case.
In another case, on May 29, 2024, a Border Patrol agent encountered a group of five individuals, including three children, walking along the border wall. When the agent attempted to take the group into custody, Erika Jasmin Lobato-Melendez, a Salvadoran national, bit the Agent on the forearm with enough force to cause bruising and abrasions through her uniform jacket. As a result, the agent required medical treatment.
Lobato-Melendez pled guilty to assaulting a federal officer involving physical contact, on September 5, 2024. At sentencing, Lobato-Melendez faces not more than eight years in prison.
These cases highlight the risks faced by federal officers and the Department of Justice’s commitment to their safety and security. The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol continue to work together to address such incidents.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau Investigation investigated these cases with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kirk Williams, Mark Saltman and Christopher S. McNair are prosecuting these cases.
