WESLACO - Federal authorities are investigating the death of a Border Patrol agent in West Texas. Theyve been pro-Border Patrol for forever.. But whether the immigration enforcers ought to be considered heroes depends largely on whos asked. Uvalde is a town of roughly 16,000 people, situated between San Antonio and Del Rio . Photographs taken at the scene showed uniformed white agents in chaps and full riding gear as they drove Haitians away from U.S. territory. Border Patrol agents have retrieved 11 bodies from that sector of the river since the beginning of the month, including one recovered on Friday, he said. An official website of the United States government. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. More troubling, however, according to Breitbart: The source, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas the delays in the investigation may have more to do with avoiding the political fallout of such a quick rush to judgment than the time it took multiple investigative agencies to analyze the evidence and reach a conclusion. Anfinsen said other agents, including some who were off-duty, acted bravely by working to extract children from classrooms as the shootout was still unfolding. The cop barged into that classroom. "With a heavy heart, we regret to announce the line-of-duty death of Border Patrol Agent . Never mind that Ratje himself stated on September 23 that he never seen [the agents] whip anyone. The FBI is leading the investigation into the attack on two Border Patrol agents. The accident happened about 1 a.m. near Mission, Texas, along the border with Mexico, Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement. Records obtained by The Associated Press show that at least 15 agents have . His incompetence and spite aimed at the former president have produced this crisis and he is unable to acknowledge that. Salas was part of a Special Operations Group working jointly with the US Border Patrol BORTAC near Eagle Pass on Friday. Border Patrol Agents responded to a law enforcement request for assistance re an active shooter situation inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Abasing himself, the secretary told the committee that he had ordered an investigation of the incident by the DHSs Office of Professional Responsibilitys leaders, and added that he had also informed the DHS Office of Inspector General. On Wednesday morning, Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero confirmed Morales' death while off duty. On behalf of our sector family, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we mourn his passing. 1:07. His body was found outside of the border city of Eagle Pass, Maverick County, in a ditch about 200 yards off Highway 277 and north of Eagle Pass around noon on Saturday, January 28th, 1984. Probably not. Parents were reportedly pepper-sprayed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed as they tried to get inside the school. According to the Del Rio News-Herald, the crash happened about 9 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 277, about 20 miles south of Del Rio. SHARE. Everyone converged on the scene as quickly as they could possibly get there.. Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive storiesand breaking newsabout issues along the United States-Mexico border. Want even more control of your Reflection? The agent, initial reports said, was off-duty and hurried to the scene of the shooting, then charged in without waiting for backup and single-handedly took out the gunman, whod barricaded himself inside a classroom. The mission of BorderReport.com is to provide real-time delivery of the untold local stories about people living, working and migrating along the U.S. border with Mexico. The death of an Agent who died while securing our nations border is a tremendous loss for our organization and our nation, our prayers are with his family and co-workers during this difficult time," said U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz in the statement. "As a winter storm moves into the area, Eagle Pass agents arrest another group of 400. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Emergency Medical Services responded, but Agent Doss succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Photo by -/social media/AFP via Getty Images. The mounted Border Patrol agents will likely not fare as well. Governor Abbott released a statement. The accident happened about 1 a.m. near Mission, Texas, along the border with Mexico, Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. End of the Investigation. The agent followed the vehicle to the Del Rio Wal-Mart . While Uvalde is an hours drive away from the border, it falls within a 100-mile zone that gives federal agents broad latitude to operate, including by setting up immigration checkpoints. The other man in the car was taken into custody. The man who shot Inspector Latham was sentenced to life in prison and the other two were sentenced to 23 years in prison. Of the 15 agents who died in 2021, 13 died in the line of duty as a result of COVID-19. The state and Texas law enforcement are doing what the federal government refuses to do work to secure the southern border and protect Texans and their property. As a winter storm moves into the area, Eagle Pass agents arrest another group of 400. As for whether Border Patrol is a welcome presence in Uvalde, Anfinsen, 41 and a town resident himself, said there is widespread support for the agency. Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, Mom of 2, stabbed 8 times, is making most of second chance at life, Whose leak is it anyway? While Border Patrol is a federal agency that does not answer to Abbott or state officials, Valdes said there have been people with little or no criminal history picked up by Border Patrol in the Uvalde area in the past year or so and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE for deportation, or removal from the country under a policy known as Title 42. MISSION, Texas (AP) A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent died Wednesday after an all-terrain vehicle accident while patrolling along the border in south Texas, according to the agency. If they have not quit already (as many agents have given the current lack of support they are receiving from the administration), they may go back to the horses, or maybe they will decide that processing thousands of aliens a day is a more halcyon way to spend a career. Given all the folderol and hand-wringing that had surrounded the Del Rio incident, and the fact that the agents involved had their lives turned upside down, you would expect that the conclusion of the investigation to have merited at least some apology from the president, vice president, and secretary. An unidentified gunman was killed after opening fire on Texas Border Patrol agents during a routine traffic stop in Del Rio, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border. Still pictures showed the agents swinging their reins as they guided their mounts and reached out to seize entering migrants, prompting Democratic members of Congress to deride their actions as [c]ruel, inhumane, and a violation of domestic and international law and a stain on our country. The agents, he said, have been dealing with a large influx of migrants due to confusion around Title 42, a policy that blocks asylum seekers from entering the U.S., which the Biden administration tried unsuccessfully to rollback on May 23. Official websites use .gov Consequently, the migrants erected their own makeshift shelters, and groups funneled back and forth across the border, bringing water and food to the camp. Many agents who work in the Del Rio sector call Uvalde home, he said, and are involved as coaches and community leaders. He was airlifted to a San Antonio hospital where he died, surrounded by family. Its wrong, it sends the wrong message around the world, it sends the wrong message at home. 00:00. In any event, the New Yorker piece ran more than two months after CNN reported in mid-November that the DHS Inspector General had declined to investigate the incident. The worse news is that the Biden administration cannot bring the same passion to actual border enforcement that it brought to baseless allegations of agent misconduct. This is a somber reminder of that fact. Anfinsen said the Border Patrol, which typically looks for migrants attempting to cross illegally between ports of entry, is understaffed and spread too thin in his sector. Border Patrol agents are undoubtedly part of the fabric of the community in Uvalde, located about 70 miles east of the Del Rio port of entry on the Mexican border. The agent, a member of CBPs Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), rushed into the school while the shooter was still active and began exchanging rounds with the gunman, who was barricaded inside a fourth-grade classroom, NBC and Fox reported. Salas was transported by local emergency workers to Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center. U.S. Border Patrol temporarily suspended horse patrols in Del Rio, Texas after video and photographs of Haitian migrants pursued by Customs and Border Protection agents on . The leading cause of death for agents during 2021 was COVID-19. The guy shot at the cop. Weve had several clients picked up by Border Patrol in that area and turned over to ICE even after theyve been in the U.S. for years, Valdes said, relaying the message to VICE News over the phone. This story has been shared 348,615 times. The track record has not been one of building trust with these communities.. In January, Texas Department of Public Safety Special Agent Anthony Salas died after being involved in a single-vehicle traffic accident near Eagle Pass while working with U.S. Border Patrol to transport six people who had illegally immigrated to the U.S. Last year, an Austin man was charged in the deaths of eight migrants after a deadly crash near the border city of Del Rio following a police chase. It was against this backdrop that Mayorkas made his statements before the Homeland Security Committee on September 22. It was determined that Inspector Latham was executed with a shot to his back. Their nationalities and ages have not been released. Copyright 1996-2023, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc, Registration for the 2023 National Police Week 5K goes up $5 on March 2nd save on our introductory pricing and, register today to run or walk in your hometown, United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, View The incident remains under investigation by TXDPS. Was the Border sued? Special Agent Salas served in the United States Marine Corps before joining DPS. To paraphrase Erich Segal in his 1970 bestseller Love Story: Power means never having to say youre sorry. Some kinds of power, at least. Half of that is a fib. By Andrew R. Arthur on January 25, 2022. Mayorkas further explained, we need to conduct this investigation thoroughly but very quickly. Six months after the fact, and despite promises of an expedited investigation, they have now apparently been cleared. She had responded to the location to assist a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper determine the status of a subject believed to be in the country illegally. Some turned themselves in to Border Patrol while some ran to escape apprehension. Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said, Its out of control and unbelievable. Maverick County has joined others in signing an agreement with the state to begin prosecuting all adult males who trespass onto private property after illegally crossing into the U.S. People drop off flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. After he was acquitted, Donovan famously asked: Which office do I go to to get my reputation back? Had it not been for that statement, I never would have remembered Donovan or the charges. Upon entering the building, agents & other law enforcement officers faced gun fire from the subject, who was barricaded inside, Espinosa said. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He died Saturday from his injuries. On Wednesday morning, Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero confirmed Morales death while off duty. And while their actions were undoubtedly heroic, one witness, a 10-year-old boy, has come forward to say the cops inadvertently helped the gunman identify another victim to shoot. Richard Mack Latham. One BORTAC member held up a shield while the other agents engaged with the gunman and shot him dead. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says an agent has died after being involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident while patrolling along the border in south Texas. WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback engaged in "unnecessary use of force" against non-threatening Haitian immigrants but didn't whip any with their reins . We've received your submission. Photo/Video will be published upon admin review and approval. The Texas-Mexico border has seen multiple deadly accidents in recent years stemming from immigration-related pursuits. The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal charges against a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Border Patrol agent for the fatal shooting of the late Sergio Hernandez-Guereca, a 15-year-old Mexican national shot within a spillway of the Rio Grande . Inspector Latham was buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Del Rio. The officer was injured during the shooting but he managed to eliminate the threat and kill the shooter before he could commit more carnage, law enforcement sources told NBC. We have dozens and dozens of agents who live there. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post) Texas officials have recovered the body of a National Guard soldier who . Del Rio Horse Incident. Agents encountered a deceased male floating in the the Rio Grande River south of the Eagle Pass Port of Entry at approximately 8:40 a.m. Two hours later, boat patrol agents discovered another deceased male floating in the Rio Grande River . Jon Anfinsen, local president of the Border Patrol union in the Del Rio sector, said the young soldier reacted when he saw a woman in distress, according to calls he received from agents. 0:54. The Texas-Mexico border has seen multiple deadly accidents in recent years stemming from immigration-related pursuits. All Rights Reserved. When Franky Palacios Paz was found naked and decapitated floating off South Padre Island, the local sheriff thought the murder . Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. Generally in training they undergo scenarios that involve people from multiple agencies showing up and going in, and it sounds like thats what happened here.. Dozens of agents from the community and from surrounding communities all showed up, some were helping get children out of classrooms while gunfire was happening, Anfinsen said. As of this morning as I write this, there is no tweet from Joe Biden on the death of Special Agent Salas. Escalon said there was a lot of gunfire in the beginning and that officers were subsequently kept at bay by additional shots. It's an embarrassment, but beyond an embarrassment, it is dangerous. About 160 . U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue to provide updates as appropriate. One agent was shot and the other returned fire, killing one of the gunmen. Some 3,300 migrants have already been removed from the Del Rio camp to planes or detention centers, Border Patrol Chief Raul L. Ortiz said at a news conference Sunday, and he expected to have . The crash happened about 3 p.m. on the westbound freeway near . The other two men were later arrested in Mexico and charged along with the subject who had surrendered. The tension that exists in Uvalde is present all over the U.S. in communities with people without legal immigration status, Isaacson said. Marsha Espinosa, the Department of Homeland Securitys assistant secretary of public affairs, confirmed on Twitter late Tuesday that at least one Border Patrol agent was wounded by the shooter. It will be completed in days, not weeks.. A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio . Two were killed in vehicle-related . Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Risking their own lives, these Border Patrol Agents and other officers put themselves between the shooter and children on the scene to draw the shooters attention away from potential victims and save lives.. Its terrible.. Greg Abbott ostensibly to help stop drug and migrant smuggling. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. MISSION, Texas -- A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent died Wednesday after an all-terrain vehicle accident while patrolling along the border in south Texas, according to the agency. A Texas border patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on . CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas - Border patrol officials at Carrizo Springs are mourning the death of one of their own. And for those without the proper immigration documents, life in a small town crawling with Border Patrol agents was already stressful enough before the horrific events of this week. A CBP official could not confirm to VICE News that the wounded agent is the one who killed the gunman, as Texas governor said was the case on Wednesday. The Border Patrol's Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass, is fast becoming the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. Skero said Morales is survived by his wife and four children. In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated. The purported act of selflessness and courage was a balm for an otherwise unthinkable tragedyat least one cop did his job and saved lives. The Ray Donovan Standard. Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. The six illegal migrants he arrested were treated for non life-threatening injuries and released to Border Patrol. 03:21 - Source: CNN Latest Videos 18 . Inspector Richard Latham was shot and killed after being abducted from the Del Rio Port of Entry in Del Rio, Texas. Over 70 percent of Uvaldes residents identified as Hispanic or Latino, according to 2022 census data, and while many families are multi-generational U.S. citizens, there are mixed-status households that include people at risk of arrest and deportation. Federal and State law enforcement officers at the scene immediately began CPR before transporting Special Agent Salas to the hospital in Eagle Pass, where he was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio. Members of other law enforcement agencies were present and part of the tactical stack formation that entered the school, but its still unclear how many, and what their actions were during the confrontation with the gunman. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, while the incident took on a life of its own. MISSION, Texas -- A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent died Wednesday after an all-terrain vehicle accident while patrolling along the border in south Texas, according to the agency. At least 19 kids and two adults were killed in the shooting, one of the worst school massacres in US history. I am deeply saddened to inform you of the off duty death of Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales. Thu, 02 Mar 2023 13:20:24 GMT (1677763224197), Courtesy: Hunter Lambombard GoFundMe page. Governor Dan Patrick issued a statement, too. At a press conference Thursday, Victor Escalon, South Texas regional director for the Department of Public Safety, said that after an initial exchange of gunfire with the gunman as he entered the school and traversed the hallways, the initial police officers on the scene retreated and called for backup, including a Border Patrol tactical team. Perhaps thats when the contrition will commence. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel. The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization founded in 1985. In the chaotic hours after an 18-year-old gunman went on a rampage at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 young children and two teachers, a narrative emerged about a heroic Border Patrol agent who stopped the massacre before it got any worse. A CBP official told VICE News the gunman was killed by a member of Border Patrols elite BORTAC special operations unit, the agencys equivalent to a SWAT team. Border Patrol agents are undoubtedly part of the fabric of the community in Uvalde, located about 70 miles east of the Del Rio port of entry on the Mexican border. One 10-year-old witness, who was hiding under a tablecloth inside the room where it happened, told San Antonio TV news network KENS that the agents who entered the classroom made a deadly mistake by asking any survivors in hiding to call out for help. Anfinsen defended the agents at the time, saying they were thrown under the bus by the Biden administration, which took the agents off duty and ordered an investigation, which remains ongoing. Vice President Kamala Harris offered her own take on the pictures of agents using horses at the border, sharing that she was deeply troubled and opining that human beings should never be treated that way.. Aside from Fox News, none of the major outlets that splashed the images of the agents across television and the internet have even deigned to comment. U.S. The agent was tracking a group of people who had crossed the border illegally. Still, I argued that a proper investigation should be done, but that it was unseemly for the administration to rush to judgment as it had. Fellow agents found the man unresponsive, began life-saving efforts and called for an ambulance, the statement said. Approximately an hour later, Escalon said, Border Patrol agents arrived and killed Ramos. An additional 400 U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrived, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said. In January, Texas Department of Public Safety Special Agent Anthony Salas died after being involved in a single vehicle traffic accident near Eagle Pass while working with U.S. Border Patrol to transport six people who had illegally immigrated to the U.S. Last year, an Austin man was charged in the deaths of eight migrants after a deadly crash near the border city of Del Rio following a police chase. Texas Border Patrol agent, 37, is killed after truck flipped over into ditch and crushed him during 'tactical operation' DPS Special agent Anthony Salas, 37, died after a 'tragic accident' near . Lt. Water gushes for days with no one stopping it. Please show us the Experts Clause of the Constitution, Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, St. Louis newspaper publishes response to gender clinic worker's story, Jon Stewart to the Left, media: Told you so about the lab leak, Princeton senior: Campus politics are driving some students to the right, The COVID hearings you will never see covered in the news, Action-backed rhetoric fuels uncandidate DeSantis' launch strategy, I asked ChatGPT to invent a new cocktail. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told CNN tonight that some local law enforcement "engaged" the shooter outside of the school before CBP received the call at about 11:30 a.m. and agents responded from various locations in the area. Even when CBP says theyre making an exception, as is the case in Uvalde today, undocumented people have very little reason to take that assurance at face value, Isaacson said. Parents send migrant children alone across the border to South Texas A 19-year-old U.S. citizen from It wasnt like BORTAC showed up and everyone went in, Anfinsen said. A group of horse-mounted Border Patrol agents responding to a surge of Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas, last year behaved inappropriately but did not strike any of the migrants with their reins . pic.twitter.com/Hwq7ih5ISj. BORTAC agents are taught to handle terror threats abroad and other chaos, such as riots at ICE detention facilities, NBC reported. Imagine living in the small town of Eagle Pass and seeing large groups of illegal migrants running through your neighborhood to escape from the authorities. I find it hard to believe that they were able to kidnap Mr. Latham from the Border. Anfinsen said hes seen no evidence to confirm the preliminary reports that a lone Border Patrol agent went in without backup, but said one of the first to take action was a BORTAC member who coordinated forming the stack to enter the school. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. There will be an investigation, underway now, and there will be consequences. Im sure a repeat due to me finding this site. Migrants are apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Del Rio, Tex., in January. People cannot access services because it may end up being the last thing they do in the United States.. Members of a Border Patrol special ops team killed the gunman, according to the agency, but their actionsand their complicated presence in the communityare under scrutiny. But Adam Isaacson, director of defense oversight at WOLA, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes human rights in Latin America, said a promise from federal immigration authorities may no longer be trusted after years of hardline enforcement. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Can you imagine being in this community and having this happen to you or your friends and neighbors and not being able to go out and drive because you're afraid? Valdes asked. An off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent from an elite tactical unit is the hero who shot and killed the Robb Elementary School gunman before he could continue his massacre, reports said Wednesday. It is December 12, 2020 and this just aired on Mystery. In June, four migrants died and three other people were injured after a Jeep being pursued by Border Patrol agents crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the interstate near the Texas border city of Encinal. But whether the agents acted quickly enough after arriving is now under scrutiny. The information is gathered by experienced and trusted Nexstar Media Group journalists hired specifically to cover the border. A Border Patrol agent was wounded by gunfire during the shootout and is among the 17 injured survivors. President Bidens open border policy and refusal to even admit there is a crisis on the border puts law enforcement lives at risk every day.. On Thursday, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz a Del Rio native visited to try to address local concerns ahead of hunting season, including a rumor that agents had been removed from the field . Agent Doss served in the Border Patrol for more than 15 years and is survived by her husband, father, mother, two step-children, sister and two brothers. 400 people dont just coincidentally decide to cross together.