A Border Patrol agent at the southern border on Thursday afternoon was attacked and even bitten by a migrant who was part of a group attempting to enter the United States illegally, federal officials said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents encountered the border crossers about 12:50 a.m. in Mount Cristo Rey, near Sunland Park, New Mexico, when the clash began. According to Nexstar Media's Border Report.
One of the migrants reportedly attacked and bit the agent, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
The law enforcement officer was taken to a local medical center for evaluation, while the suspect was arrested for assault, the federal agency said.
The Sunland Park area is often one of the busiest corridors along the border where migrants try to sneak into the country. According to Border Report, local dispatchers often field emergency calls when asylum seekers fall off the border wall near the Monte Cristo Rey monument and stumble onto the rocks below.
Three of the four migrants in a group that attempted to enter through the corridor on Thursday fled back into Mexico after a violent encounter and were taken into custody by Mexican authorities, the newspaper reported.
According to the publication, one of the migrants was then brought to US Border Patrol agents so he could be identified.
So far this fiscal year, 413 border agents have been attacked. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
