Charges dropped against El Paso pastor accused of bringing person across border without documents

ABC-7 has learned Thursday afternoon that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has dropped a felony charge against Pastor Ciro Cruz, according to Cruz’s attorney Kenneth Del Valle.

He was arrested at the Paso del Norte bridge Wednesday afternoon for bringing a person without documents across the border – a felony charge.

Cruz is the pastor of Primera Iglesia del Nazareno on Pera Avenue in South Central.

According to Customs and Border Protection, Cruz was driving across the bridge with an adult female in the car.

Upon reaching the United States side, the woman was found to have documents that weren’t hers and that she was allegedly impersonating someone else.

Both Cruz and the woman were arrested and interviewed by the CBP’s office of field operations.

Kenneth Del Valle, the attorney for cruz, told ABC 7 that his client has been cleared this afternoon. Cruz was released from custody on a $10,000 bond, but was then held for processing by immigration authorities. Del Valle says he should be a free man by this evening.

Cruz is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., and has no previous charges.

Del Valle said the U.S. District Attorney’s Office called him and said there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward with the case surrounding the crossing. Del Valle said then called Cruz’s wife, who was very happy to hear the news.

Del Valle told ABC 7 that his client often helps people he thinks have papers cross the border, and that Cruz is “in the business of kindness, and somebody used him,” and that the woman who he was trying to help cross lied to him.