Two Venezuelan men allegedly attacked and killed a Mexican federal immigration agent on Monday in Chihuahua, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, according to Mexico's National Immigration Institute (INM).
Newsweek has contacted Mexico's government for further comment via email outside of normal office hours.
Why It Matters
Border security was a core component of President-elect Donald Trump's election victory. He has pledged to enact the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history.
Trump has also vowed to shut down the CBP One app, end the catch-and-release policy, and reinstate the Remain in Mexico program as part of his immigration agenda.
What To Know
According to the National Migration Institute, the agent, named Luis Alberto Olivas García, was attacked around 12:30 p.m. at a checkpoint in Samalayuca, about 30 miles south of Ciudad Juarez, while requesting identification documents from an unspecified number of foreign nationals.
Mexican officials provided conflicting reports regarding the number of people arrested. National authorities initially stated that three individuals—two Venezuelan men and a Colombian man—were detained. However, Jorge Armendáriz, a spokesman for the Chihuahua security ministry, later clarified that only two Venezuelan men were in state custody.
No charges have yet been brought forward.
Authorities said the immigration agent appeared to have suffered a head injury, likely caused by a rock, along with multiple other injuries, possibly from a sharp object, and his body showed additional "signs of violence."
According to officials, the victim, Olivas García, had been honored earlier on Monday for his 30 years of service.
The suspects have been identified as Carlos A. S., 36, and David José V., 29, both from Venezuela.
This comes as migrant crossings at the southern border have decreased since the summer, following joint efforts by Mexico and the Biden administration, including Mexico's intensified enforcement measures and new restrictions that make it significantly harder for migrants who enter the U.S. illegally to apply for asylum.
What People Are Saying
Tonatiuh Guillén, who led Mexico's National Migration Institute under the previous government, told the New York Times: "My greatest concern is that the manipulation of the event could lead the U.S. to justify more aggressive initiatives against the migrant population—not only by the government but by civilian groups that have been radicalized."
What Happens Next
The death comes as many migrants and asylum seekers try to reach the U.S. before Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
Trump is expected to enforce an aggressive immigration agenda as he looks to secure the border under his incoming administration.
The president-elect has pledged to sign a series of executive orders on his first day in office, focusing on mass deportations and border security.
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