Migrants Arrested in Killing of Mexican Immigration Agent

January 5

A federal immigration agent in Mexico was killed on Monday afternoon by a group of migrants in the northern state of Chihuahua after asking to see their identification papers, the country’s migration agency said.

The agent, identified as Luis Alberto Olivas García, was attacked at Precos-Samalayuca, a migration checkpoint about 30 miles south of the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas, the National Migration Institute said in a statement.

There were conflicting statements from Mexican officials about how many people were arrested. The statement from the national authorities said three people — two Venezuelan men and a Colombian man — but a spokesman with the Chihuahua security ministry, Jorge Armendáriz, said that only two Venezuelan men were in the custody of state authorities.

No charges had been filed as of Monday evening.

Experts said the killing of an immigration agent in Mexico was rare.

Preliminary reports indicated that the agent had sustained several wounds possibly caused by a sharp weapon and a head injury most likely caused by a rock, according to Mr. Armendáriz. Mr. Olivas García had been recognized earlier on Monday for his 30 years of service, Mr. Armendáriz added.

A spokeswoman for the Colombian migration authorities said on Monday night that the government was looking into the episode and could not comment further. The Venezuelan authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The episode comes as unlawful crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plunged since the summer, as Mexico has ramped up enforcement efforts. The Biden administration also imposed sweeping restrictions in June that make it much more difficult for migrants who enter the United States illegally to seek asylum.

The killing also occurred as many undocumented migrants and asylum seekers hope to reach the United States before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. His election has deterred some from making the trek north, while others have rushed to the border in an attempt to cross.

Mexican security forces said last week that they detained more than 475,000 migrants between Oct. 1 and Dec. 26 — nearly 68 percent more detentions compared with the same period last year, according to government data.

Mexico’s efforts have included busing migrants farther south into Mexico, dissolving caravans and introducing several bureaucratic hurdles to keep pressure off the border with the United States.

“We think it is a model that works, that can always be improved, but that has responded very satisfactorily to this phenomenon,” Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s foreign affairs minister, said in a news conference on Friday.

Tonatiuh Guillén, who led Mexico’s National Migration Institute under the previous government, said that while fewer people have been crossing over from Mexico, the killing could be used to justify harsher tactics against migrants, including those inside the United States.

“My greatest concern is that the manipulation of the event could lead the U.S. to justify more aggressive initiatives against the migrant population — not only by the government, but by civilian groups that have been radicalized,” he said.

Isayen Herrera contributed reporting from Caracas, Venezuela.

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