Staff / The El Paso Journal
Sunday, March 19, 2023 | 05:00
A 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant bit off the index finger of a US Border Patrol (USBP) officer at a migrant processing center in Northeast El Paso, authorities said.
He was later arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and now faces charges for attacking a federal official. In fact, on Friday he had his first hearing before a federal judge.
According to the police report –affidavit– of the FBI agent, held by El Diario de El Paso, Jhon Rincón-Terán, a Venezuelan citizen, was detained around 5:45 pm on Tuesday at the Centralized Processing Center of the Sector Border Patrol crossing.
The new facilities – inaugurated a few months ago – are located at 9201 Gateway Blvd., near Hondo Pass Drive, in the Northeast where the officer was assaulted.
“Our partners with the United States Border Patrol interact with thousands of people every day and selflessly put themselves in harm’s way protecting our nation’s borders,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge El Paso Jeffrey R. Downey, it’s a statement.
“Assaults on USBP officers or any other federal agent/officer or task force officer will not be tolerated and will be promptly addressed by our office so they can continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect our communities.”
It speeds up and bites
The incident began when officers told a group of migrants in a holding cell not to hoard the food they were being served because food expires and is only good for as long as it is served, according to a federal complaint affidavit. . The officer told the group that they would be served more meals during their detention.
It was then that a CBP processing coordinator officer noticed Rincón-Terán becoming agitated after officers gave the group instructions, authorities said.
The suspect began doing push-ups and pounding on the floor, the affidavit says. The officer noticed Rincón-Terán’s actions but did not acknowledge him as he was not hurting anyone, according to the affidavit.
Rincón-Terán then began to run around the holding cell. The officer ordered him to stop running to prevent someone from getting hurt.
The Venezuelan then got angry, kept running around the cell and became aggressive towards other migrants, the affidavit says. The officer again asked the suspect to stop running, sit down and relax, authorities said.
Rincón-Terán responded, “No,” and yelled obscenities at the officer, the affidavit says.
The officer ordered Rincón-Terán to come to him in an effort to get Rincón-Terán out of the holding cell to de-escalate the situation, the affidavit says. Rincón-Terán allegedly continued to yell profanity and display obscene hand gestures at the officer.
The officer asked for help separating Rincón-Terán from the other migrants.
The officer again ordered Rincón-Terán to approach him, but he refused to comply, backing away from the officer and taking a fighting stance, the affidavit says.
The officer, along with other CBP employees, entered the cell, walked over to Rincón-Terán, and began using “hands-on control techniques” to handcuff him. While attempting to put on the handcuffs, the officer’s right hand lost contact with Rincón-Terán’s shoulder and landed in front of Rincón-Terán’s face.
Rincón-Terán then allegedly bit off the officer’s right index finger.
The officer removed his finger from Rincón-Terán’s mouth. The officer felt pain and saw blood on his finger, the affidavit says.
Rincón-Terán was then handcuffed and “escorted to an isolation cell where he continued to be belligerent,” the affidavit says.
The officers entered and were able to handcuff him and place him in another holding area.
Rincón-Terán was arrested Thursday by FBI agents in El Paso on suspicion of assaulting a federal officer.
He was booked into the El Paso County Jail without bond, jail records show.
“Our agents along with our Border Patrol Processing coordinators continue to show courage and courage in the most difficult circumstances,” El Paso Sector Chief Agent Anthony “Scott” Good said in a statement. “This is just another example of the inherent danger our officers and BPCC face every day. Fortunately, the offender faces prosecution through our invaluable law enforcement partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the United States Attorney’s Office.”
