By Steve Neavling
Two migrants have been sentenced for assaulting Border Patrol agents in separate incidents in the Rio Grande Valley.
They are a Mexican national and Honduran national, according to CBP.
On Feb. 18, while agents were apprehending a group of migrants near Hidalgo, one of them, Carlos David Moreno-Ortega, shoved an agent into the Riot Grande and called on another migrant to hit him with a rock.
Moreno-Ortega was arrested after a brief struggle.
On Dec. 15, he was sentenced to 15 months in jail for assaulting a federal officer.
On April 13, a Honduran national, Alexander Salgado-Merlo, struck an agent with an open palm to the chest and head while the agent from the Rio Grande City station tried to apprehend him in Roma.
The agent pepper-sprayed Salgado-Merlo and arrested him.
On Nov. 30, he was sentenced to 14 months in jail for assaulting a federal officer.
“These types of cases highlight the dangers Border Patrol agents face on a daily basis in the Rio Grande Valley,” RGV Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in a statement. “I will always prioritize to seek prosecution of those harming the life and safety of our agents. Thankfully, these perpetrators were brought to justice through the combined efforts of our agents, fellow law enforcement and U.S. Attorney partners working together to keep our law enforcement and communities safe.”
