Juarez man arrested for battery of Border Patrol agent

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The New Mexico Third Judicial District Attorney's Office is looking to prosecute 32-year-old Juarez resident Ender Alexander Vargas-Meza for battery of a US Border Patrol Agent Thursday.

The alleged battery happened September 24, 2024, a spokesperson for the DA's Office explained. The spokesperson says the New Mexico U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Vargas-Meza and extradited him back to Mexico. Then Vargas-Meza was arrested again on November 7, 2024 as he tried to gain illegal re-entry to the U.S. At that time, officers arrested Vargas-Meza on a warrant issued by the DA's Office.

"On September 24, 2024, a US Border Patrol Agent encountered three subjects in [the] Anapra Road -Sunland Park area, who had just made illegal entry into the U.S.," a spokesperson for the DA's Office explained. "The BP Agent approached the group of three to make an arrest. Two of the subjects attempted to abscond, but Vargas-Meza began to fight with the Border Patrol Agent. Vargas-Meza began kicking and pushing the agent, all the while attempting to reach into his pocket. The Border Patrol Agent was able to gain control of Vargas-Meza and place him in handcuffs, after a search of Vargas-Meza for any illegal contraband, he was found with a pocketknife."

Officials booked Vargas-Meza into the Dona Ana County Detention Center at 2:33 PM yesterday. He is being held on a $5,000 bond.