see also: in March 2009:   CBP Officers Fine SENTRI Lane User after Discovery of Prohibited Items   Buffalo CBP Officers Arrest 2 for Suspected Passport Fraud   Yuma Sector Welcomes New Patrol Agent in Charge of Intel   Border Patrol Intercepts Cocaine Cache Valued at $500K   Border Patrol Nabs 15 Mexican Nationals on California Coast   CBP Helicopter, BORSTAR Agents Evacuate Resident and Pets from Flood Waters   CBP Awards Contract for Technology Design, Deployment on Northern Border ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Tucson, Ariz. – A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Tucson sector was struck in the head with a cinder block by an unidentified assailant who was standing on the Mexican side of the International Border Fence.

On March 9, an agent working just west of Nogales noticed a breach in the International Border Fence. When the agent went to get a closer look, an unidentified person on the Mexican side dropped a large piece of cinder block onto his head. The agent received cuts and scrapes on his forehead, nose and chest. His hand was also injured from the attack. A Border Patrol agent certified as an Emergency Medical Technician responded to the scene and provided first aid.

Mexican police officials were contacted and they responded to the area a short while later. They were able to locate a possible witness to the assault. The investigation is still ongoing.

This is a prime example of the types of violence that agents face on a daily basis when working to secure the border. Chief Patrol Agent Robert W. Gilbert said, “As we gain operational control of our border, smugglers and other types of criminal elements have become frustrated and the result is an increase in assaults.” In the first five months of fiscal year 2009, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector have been assaulted more than 90 times. There were 255 assaults on agents during fiscal 2008 and 210 during fiscal 2007.

CPA Gilbert said that “These assaults on agents are a very serious and dangerous matter. The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol that put on the uniform everyday to defend our borders from all threats are truly remarkable individuals.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.