A man from Sonora, Mexico, received a 51-month prison sentence for assaulting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer.
According to a Feb. 23 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release, Cesar Alejandro Avendano-Soto, 21, previously pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.
“Working at the ports of entry securing our nation’s borders is important and at times, dangerous, work. However, to be intentionally assaulted by an unruly person seeking to evade our nation’s laws is not a danger CBP officers should have to face,” HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown said in the release. “This sentencing demonstrates the continued commitment of HSI to arrest and bring to justice those who violently attack law enforcement officers.”
On March 24, 2020, a CBP officer had asked Avendano-Soto for his proof of citizenship as he tried to enter the U.S. at Nogales, Ariz., according to the release. Avendano-Soto reportedly became angry at the officer and pushed to to the ground, slamming her head on the concrete. For his actions, Avendano-Soto was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, the release reported. Avendano-Soto has a restitution hearing scheduled for April 25.
The public is urged to report crimes or suspicious behavior to the HSI tip line, which is staffed around-the-clock, according to the release.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's primary investigative branch, HSI, is in charge of looking into threats and transnational crime, particularly those criminal groups who prey on the systems that facilitate international travel, trade and finance, the release reported. The more than 8,700 people employed by HSI are divided between more than 6,000 special agents stationed in 93 sites abroad in 56 countries and 237 cities around the U.S. One of the biggest worldwide footprints in U.S. law enforcement, HSI's presence abroad is the greatest investigative law enforcement presence outside of DHS.
