Border Patrol agents risk their lives every day in providing our nation’s front line of defense from those who would cross our borders to do us harm. Their efforts lead to the saving of lives, stopping the flow of drugs into our country and cash profits headed out, and protecting American citizens from criminals and sexual predators who attempt to re-enter this country after being deported for their criminal behavior.
Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on both the humanitarian efforts of Border Patrol agents who reduce the number of illegal immigrants who die as a result of abuses by cartel members. In addition to their efforts to stem the tide of drugs being smuggled into this country and the export of currency, guns and ammunition, agents are also effective at finding the criminal element of illegal immigrants who want to return to this country after being deported. Many of those are murderers, rapists, child abusers and other violent sexual offenders. Frequently Border Patrol agents are violently assaulted by these smugglers, or worse, they are killed in the line of duty.
A quick search of Breitbart Texas archives reveals the efforts by these agents to save lives. On Wednesday, Breitbart Texas reported on Wednesday about the rescue of nine illegal immigrants who had been left in scorching heat, abandoned by their human smugglers known as coyotes. These coyotes, who are often tied to Mexican drug cartels, will abandon their human smuggling cargo when the people become sick, injured or otherwise cannot keep up with the pack.
These rescues were carried out by agents in three separate border region counties. Many of those injured required immediate medical attention because of dehydration or heat exposure.
The heat can be just as dangerous to the agents and their K-9 search partners. Late last month, Breitbart Texas’ Ildefonso Ortiz reported on the death of a K-9 agent named Lazer. The dog had been working the ranches in Brooks County searching for distressed immigrants when he became overwhelmed by the heat. Despite the dog handler’s best efforts, Lazer passed away.
Just two weeks before Lazer’s death, agents working that same area rescued one illegal immigrants suffering from dehydration, Breitbart Texas’ Lana Shadwick reported. Unfortunately some are not so fortunate. That same weekend, three illegal immigrants died from their exposure to the rapidly rising Texas heat.
Brooks County Sheriff-Elect Benny Martinez told Breitbart Texas that the efforts of his department, the State of Texas, and the U.S. Border Patrol are paying off in terms of reducing the numbers of death and increasing the numbers of illegal aliens captured while they are being smuggled through the county.
In addition to the frequent rescues resulting in the saving of lives, agents are also effective and finding criminal aliens who re-enter the U.S. after being deported for their criminal behavior. One such case involved a Mexican national who was captured the last week of June while allegedly smuggling seventy-five pounds of marijuana into Texas near the University of Texas El Paso campus. As agents processed the criminal alien, they discovered he had previously been convicted of sexual assault in Arkansas and subsequently deported.
In April, Border Patrol agents working in southern California discovered another previously deported sex offender who had just illegally crossed from Mexico into the U.S. near Calexico. The 28-year-old Mexican national had previously served prison time for lewd acts with a child under the age of 14.
“Whether it’s being good members of our community or arresting criminals who pose a threat to our nation’s youth. I am grateful for the work our Border Patrol agents do every day to keep our communities safe,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim said at the time.
Just a few days later, two additional previously deported sex offenders were captured by Border Patrol agents shortly after they re-entered the U.S. in Arizona. Gergio Galaz-Coronado, 38, and Esteban Aparicio-Molina, 32, were arrested by agents working near Douglas and Cowlic, Arizona, respectively. Both men had been previously deported after violent sexual offenses.
Arturo Solano Ramos, a Mexican national, had been deported from the United States several times, Breitbart Texas reported in May. The Mexican national was arrested near Deming, New Mexico after entering the U.S. from Mexico yet again.
Also in April, Border Patrol agents working in southern New Mexico captured two men who had just crossed back into the United States after being previously deported. Agents learned the two men had previously been convicted of raping children. Manuel Saravia Guerrero, a 59-year-old man from El Salvador had previously been convicted of sexual assault of a child. In a separate incident, Jesus Gonzalez Lopez, a 29-year-old Mexican national was arrested and later determined to have a conviction for “sex with a minor.”
The danger posed to Americans from these previously deported criminal aliens is very real. In April, Breitbart Texas reported on the vehicular homicide of an East Texas fire captain and two of his seven children by an illegal alien who had been previously deported. About that same time, another criminal alien who had been deported numerous times was set to stand trial for the murders of five American citizens in Kansas and Missouri.
These successes accomplished by these agents does not come without cost. Agents are frequently violently assaulted by those who are attempting to return to this country or who are smuggling others into the U.S. In June, three Border Patrol agents were assaulted by illegal aliens. Two of these agents were working in the Rio Grande Valley Sector of South Texas when they were assaulted, Ortiz reported. One agent received multiple cuts, abrasions, and scratches from a Honduran man who had been hiding in the brush to avoid capture and then fought the agent when he was discovered. A second agent was assaulted in the face when he attempted to arrest a group of six men who had just entered the U.S. illegally.
Another agents assaulted in June was working the mountainous region of southern Arizona. The agents were searching for scouts who hid in the mountains and report Border Patrol activity to the cartel smugglers of humans and drugs. One of the alleged scouts assaulted an agent as he attempted to make an arrest. Agents said two more of their agents had been assaulted in this same area over the past two months.
About that same time, a Border Patrol agent was forced to shoot an illegal alien in self-defense after being forced to fight for his life. The illegal alien managed to steal the agents baton during a fight and beat him numerous times during the struggle, Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby reported. He also attempted to steal the agent’s service weapon. When that failed, he stole the agent’s radio and began beating him in the head with it. The agent was forced to shoot the illegal alien who later died from his wound.
The efforts of all of these Border Patrol agents resulted in the saving of lives, the protection of Americans from the threat of repeat violence from criminals who had been previously deported, and the reduction of drugs and other contraband destined to cities across the nation.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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