EL PASO, Texas ( Border Report ) – Federal prosecutors have charged several individuals for allegedly assaulting U.S. Border Patrol agents in New Mexico during separate incidents in the past year.
U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez of Las Cruces, El Paso Border Patrol Chief Agent Scott Good, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of Albuquerque made the announcement on Wednesday.
“These cases highlight the risks faced by federal officers and the Department of Justice’s commitment to their safety and security,” the officials said in a statement. “The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol continue to work together to address such incidents.”
The two most recent assaults took place last month in New Mexico communities just across the state line west of El Paso.
On Sept. 19, three border agents spotted a group of men illegally crossing over from Mexico at Mount Cristo Rey, a mountain straddling the border near Sunland Park, N.M. One agent caught up to Ricardo Prieto Simental, 25, who allegedly ran, stopped, attempted to break a cell phone on a rock, and hurled it at the agent’s head.