Border agent killed, partner injured by illegal immigrants using rocks, report says
Illegal immigrants reportedly assaulted two U.S. Border Patrol agents with rocks, killing one and seriously injuring another Sunday near the southern border with Mexico.
Details around the attack remained murky Monday, however, an FBI spokesperson said Rogelio Martinez and his partner were not shot and a National Border Patrol Council official told KTSM the assailants were "undocumented immigrants" who used likely used rocks to bash the agents.
"We strongly believe rocks were what was used," NBPC Vice President Art Del Cueto told KTSM.
The FBI had taken over the investigation into the death of Martinez, 36, and the injuring of his partner, who was not identified. The two were patrolling the Big Bend Sector of Texas when the attack occurred.
"They were not fired upon," said Jeanette Harper of the FBI's El Paso office. "There are so many different agencies working together that we need to come together and develop a timeline."
Martinez, who was from El Paso and had worked as a border agent since August 2013, died of injuries sustained while responding to “activity” near Interstate 10 in the Van Horn Station area, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
He was on Interstate 10 near Mile Marker 151 when the incident occurred, KFOX14 reported. At some point, Martinez's partner called for help, saying he and Martinez had both been injured, investigators told KFOX14.
President Trump pushed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall Sunday night following the incident, tweeting : "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!"
Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement Sunday calling Martinez’s death a “tragic event.”
“Earlier this morning, I was notified that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez died as a result of serious injuries suffered while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector of our southern border in Texas. Agent Martinez was responding to activity while on patrol with another agent, who was also seriously injured,” the statement read.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also released a statement calling the attack a “stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities and those charged with defending them.”
“Our condolences and prayers go out to the family and friends of Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez, who was killed this morning in the line of duty. We are also praying for the full recovery of his partner, who was also attacked,” Cruz said.
Border Patrol records show that Big Bend accounted for about 1 percent of the more than 61,000 apprehensions agents made along the Southwest border between October 2016 and May 2017.
The region's mountains and the Rio Grande make it a difficult area for people to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico.
The Border Patrol website lists 38 agents who have died since late 2003, some attacked while working along the border, and other fatalities in traffic accidents. It lists one other agent death in the line of duty this year.
Tags
Who is online
72 visitors
So.....no prayer to fix this problem?! I guess you only get to immediately politicize a tragedy if you have a (R) behind your name!
I agree with Senator Cruz !
Is it your belief that there has NEVER been a problem with our lazy southern border ?
But....but.....why cant we just pray on it to get an answer?...../s
Why do you feel like NOW is the right time?.....damn it let's just pray!....prayer works and how dare you hate on my religious belief in prayer....../s
Trump isn't. He says "BUILD" !
You don't know the difference between "Pray for" and "Doing" ?
If ya'll think this is a "non-issue", how 'bout moving down here in the SW, next to the border and see what the issue is. This is our population mix:
Over 50% of the Hispanic/Latino's are of the Illegal Alien variety - they are also the most jailed and live in the most abject conditions, of their own choice. We can see the constant flow of illegal traffic passing through on I-10 and I-25 as they, and their coyotes, head to larger cities where they can be absorbed into the Illegal Alien cultures of NM, AZ and TX. ICE constantly raids businesses and neighborhoods - but it's a never ending battle - one which ICE is losing due to the volume of Illegal Aliens migrating to our city.
Our city has attempted to "declare" itself a Sanctuary city, but 2 cool heads on the city council has prevented that from occurring. I live in a newer neighborhood of the city and have 14 Border Patrol families living in a two block radius. Those folks work many, many hours and are on instant call for border assistance in El Paso and a few other cities on our border for border crossings. We have an average of 4 killed each year while trying to apprehend Illegal Aliens but those stories never make the news.
And of course you have links and facts to back all this up right?
Nah - I just live here and see it everyday - wanna join me?
Read my post Willy - 14 BP families that I talk too frequently - working with LE's on a frequent basis - my actual living with this daily are all the "facts and figures" I, or anyone who lives in this area, need.
You need a "Link" to figure out if "ILLEGALS" are coming over the borders or not ?
Last I've read....there are over 11 million or so "ILLEGALS" in this country. This didn't occur because of the "Big Bang" happening again.
Percentage of illegals by state
In Southern California, about 1.4 million undocumented immigrants live between the southern Ventura County border and the U.S.-Mexico border — the biggest concentration of undocumented people in the country.
In 2014, 61 percent of undocumented immigrants lived in just 20 metro areas, compared with just 36 percent of the total U.S. population that lived in the same regions. About 65 percent of legal immigrants lived in those areas. Overall, undocumented immigrants make up about 3.5 percent of the nation’s population.
My prayers and thoughts to the patrol agents and their families.