Houston arrests involve Border Patrol agent strangling, human trafficking

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(The Center Square) – Criminal foreign nationals continue to be arrested and prosecuted in the Houston area, including this week for violent crimes committed against Border Patrol agents and illegal border crossers.

In one case, two Mexican nationals were arrested and taken into custody after an escape that involved the strangling a Border Patrol agent. In another, a Houston man was arrested for his role in a human smuggling operation in which 55 people were crammed inside a box truck.

On Wednesday, two Mexican nationals, Juan Carmen Padron Mendez, 29, and Juan Carlos Padron Barron, 23, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett in a case involving the strangling of a Border Patrol agent.

Two days prior, a female Border Patrol agent encountered them and determined they were in the country illegally and took them into custody. After arresting them, she secured them in a Border Patrol vehicle with flexicuffs and began transporting them to a detention facility. While in transport, she stopped at a red light and Mendez “quickly wrapped his arm around her neck and began choking her,” according to the charges. 

As the strangling took place, Barron then got out of the vehicle, retrieved their personal belongings from the front seat and fled on foot. Mendez released her and also fled on foot, according to the complaint. 

She called for assistance and authorities apprehended both men. She was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment and has since been released.

“The Southern District of Texas has zero tolerance for those who assault law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei said. “Let it be known: if you lay a hand on an officer, deputy, or federal agent, SDTX will do whatever it can to put you in federal prison for as long as the law will allow.”

Both men were charged with assault, resisting or impeding a federal officer and face up to 20 years in federal prison. They face additional fines and prison time if convicted of escape from custody of an officer of the United States. 

“This incident underscores the extreme dangers our agents face every single day,” CBP Senior Advisor Ronald Vitiello said. “Attempting to choke a federal agent is an outrageous and cowardly act. Thanks to the agent’s quick action and the coordinated law enforcement response, the perpetrators are back in custody and facing serious federal charges. We are grateful our agent has been treated and released from the hospital.”

In another case, Brandon Lajohn Hargrove, 43, of Houston, and Jose Luis Castellanos-Hercules, 21, a Honduran national in the country illegally, were charged with human smuggling.

Their detention hearings are scheduled Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Hacker.

They were arrested after they were caught allegedly transporting nearly six dozen illegal foreign nationals hidden inside a box truck from Mission, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, to Zapata, several hours west.

Hargrove was allegedly driving the box truck and was pulled over by authorities near San Ygnacio last week. He told officers he was hauling boxes of produce, which he agreed to show them, according to authorities. After looking inside the truck, agents saw Castellanos-Hercules inside, according to the charges. Next, they found a hidden compartment where 55 people were being held, according to the complaint. In order to get into the compartment, they had to crawl through a small door to hide behind a false wall. “Multiple heavy pallets blocked the access door and prevented them from being able to leave on their own,” according to the complaint.

Those hiding inside were all in the country illegally, citizens of China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico and Venezuela. Three were under age 17, according to the charges.

After illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico, they were all held in a stash house in Mission. The stash house was known to authorities for being used for smuggling activity, according to the complaint. 

“The Southern District of Texas takes a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal immigration, including those who transport or otherwise enable alien smuggling,” Ganjei said. “Our message on this point has been consistent and clear: smuggling is a dangerous and often deadly business, and one should neither engage in human smuggling nor seek smuggling services. People overseas would be well-advised to stay home and stay safe.”

If convicted, both men face up to 10 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Several of the illegal foreign nationals in the truck are also facing charges of illegal entry and illegal reentry, Ganjei’s office said.