Border Patrol Agent Arrested for Allegedly Smuggling Illegal Migrants Into US for Payment
A Border Patrol agent was arrested in Laredo, Texas, on Friday after allegedly smuggling illegal migrants into the U.S., Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday.
Border Patrol agent Rodney Tolson Jr. allegedly conspired to transport and smuggle illegal migrants into the U.S. for payment from February to March 2019, according to an indictment.
A grand jury indicted Tolson on felony charges related to transporting illegal migrants for private gain, according to a CBP statement.
Tolson was placed on indefinite suspension.
CBP “stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission and expects officers and agents to adhere to the oath they take to uphold and enforce the laws of this country,” the agency said.
Tolson allowed illegal migrants to pass through a checkpoint and received payment in at least six instances, the indictment alleged.
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general and CBP are investigating the allegations, according to CBP.
Tolson faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, according to the indictment.
In a separate case, a former CBP officer pleaded guilty to helping an illegal migrant enter the U.S. on May 14, according to a CBP statement.
The agent, identified only as Walker, allegedly used another official’s login information to process a Mexican woman through the Laredo port of entry on Jan. 2.
The Mexican woman was not authorized to live or work in the U.S., and Walker allegedly intended for her to enter the U.S. to work as her housekeeper and nanny, according to CBP.
Walker faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, according to CBP.
Neither CBP nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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