Mexican man sentenced to more than 5 years in prison for assaulting border agent

PHOENIX — A Mexican man was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Tuesday for assaulting a U.S. border patrol agent, officials said.

Mario Garcia-Estrada, 26, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Prosecutors said that Garcia-Estrada previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on a federal officer.

Why was the Mexican man sentenced for assaulting a border agent?

On the morning of March 4, 2023, Garcia-Estrada entered the country illegally from Mexico.

Garcia-Estrada was later found near Bisbee by United States Border Patrol (USBP) cameras.

When a border patrol agent was sent to where Garcia-Estrada was seen, she found him hiding and, after determining he wasn’t in the country legally, placed him under arrest.

Prosecutors said that while the agent was putting Garcia-Estrada in her patrol vehicle, he pushed her to the ground, punched her multiple times in the head and face and then fled on foot.

A USBP camera operator tracked Garcia-Estrada down and he was taken into custody by other agents.

The border patrol agent in the incident was left with various injuries including a fractured nose.

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