Federal authorities said a Border Patrol agent was assaulted and bitten by a group of migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States at the southern border on Thursday afternoon.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the skirmish broke out around 12:50 p.m. when agents confronted border crossers on Mount Cristo Rey near Sunland Park, New Mexico. According to Nexstar Media's Border Report.
One of the migrants allegedly attacked and bit the agent, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault, while the officer was transported to a local medical facility for examination, according to federal authorities.
The Sunland Park area is often one of the busiest corridors along the border where migrants attempt to smuggle themselves in. According to Border Report, local dispatchers frequently respond to emergency calls about asylum seekers falling off the border wall near the Monte Cristo Rey monument and tripping on rocks below.
The media reported that three of the four migrants in a group attempting to enter the country through the corridor on Thursday fled back into Mexico after the violent encounter and were detained by Mexican authorities.
One of the migrants was then taken to US Border Patrol agents for identification, the paper said.
So far this fiscal year, 413 Border Patrol agents have been raided. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
