Mexican national sentenced for assaulting Border Patrol Agents in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A Mexican man was sentenced in an El Paso federal court to 46 months in prison for three counts of assault on a federal officer.
The U.S. Attorney's Office sent a release saying, Carlos Ernesto Guerrero-Gutierrez was being detained in a pod of 20 individuals at an El Paso processing center in November 2023.
Guerrero-Gutierrez became disruptive and was placed in a separate isolation pod where he dismantled the pod’s frame, removing a wooden board with nails on it.
When U.S. Border Patrol agents responded, Guerrero-Gutierrez bit one agent on the leg and injured two others using the board with nails. One of the agents was hit in the head, causing him to bleed above the temple and another agent bled from his hand after being stabbed in the thumb with a nail.
Guerrero-Gutierrez was ultimately subdued after two taser deployment attempts, cuffed and restrained. He pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on a federal officer on May 6, 2024.
“Our Border Patrol partners place their lives on the line daily in defense of the United States and the integrity of our border,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “We take these violations seriously and will vigorously prosecute violent individuals who assault those who work tirelessly to protect us and our communities.”
“This conviction serves as a clear message—any individual who attempts to harm a federal officer will face swift and decisive action. These assaults will not be tolerated. Those who engage in such violence will be held fully accountable under the law,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar. “We are grateful for the unwavering support from our law enforcement partners and the justice system in ensuring that those who threaten the safety of our agents face the consequences of their actions.”
"The El Paso FBI stands firmly with our U.S. Border Patrol partners as well as with all law enforcement officers who work tirelessly, day in and day out, to protect our borders and our communities,” said El Paso FBI Special Agent in Charge John Morales. "Any assault on these dedicated, brave men and women will not be tolerated and will be swiftly investigated. This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers they face in their mission to keep our nation safe, and this sentencing reflects our unwavering commitment to supporting and partnering with law enforcement at all levels to uphold public safety."
The FBI and USBP investigated the case.
Border Patrol El Paso Sector told ABC-7, Fiscal Year 2025 to date has recorded 34 assaults on Border Patrol Agents.
"As we've stated before, the reduction in apprehensions it's very significant here in the El Paso Sector. But with that said, that doesn't mean that the assaults have decreased is something that continues to happen and continues to occur here," Agent Orlando Marrero-Rubio said.
Fiscal Year 2024 recorded 103 assaults and Fiscal Year 2023 saw 111.
Agent Marrero-Rubio said you can see a decrease in the numbers, but they believe if they continue to see this trend, they might end up matching the numbers of previous years.
The majority of the assaults on agents are physical assaults while they try to arrest or apprehend people who crossed into the U.S. illegally.
"The most common one is physical assaults at the moment of arrest, at the moment of that encounter, when we're trying to apprehend that individual that made an illegal entry into the United States," Agent Marrero-Rubio said. "The most common assault is just physical assaults, punches, elbows, kicks, anything that can be used to try to prevent us from doing our job."
"We have also seen throughout the sector agents that are getting shot at from the Mexican side by smugglers, by cartel members, by transnational criminal organization members, to retaliate for us being so in front of the line, protecting our nation's borders," Agent Marrero-Rubio added.
