By Steve Neavling
A federal judge found a CBP officer guilty of using excessive force against two people in separate incidents while working at the bridge of the Americas on the El Paso border, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Miguel Angel Delgado Jr., 40, who worked out of El Paso, was convicted of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of a document in a federal investigation.
Prosecutors said Delgado used “unlawful use of force,” causing bodily injury to the victims.
The alleged assaults occurred in October 2019 and June 2020.
“The Defendant submitted a CBP Incident Log Report for the use of force incident involving R.E. (1) falsely claiming that he ‘turned [R.E.] around while sitting in the chair in order to place [R.E.] in hand restraints;’ and (2) falsely claiming that R.E. ‘kept trying to push back and push’ the Defendant ‘off of [R.E.’s] back.’ In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1519,” the indictment read.
Delgado faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and CBP Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the case.
