Immigration agent murdered after asking migrants for ID in Mexico

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, January 06, 2025

At least two Venezuelan migrants have been arrested in connection with the killing of a Mexican immigration agent who asked to see their identification papers, officials say. 

The agent murdered last Monday in the northern state of Chihuahua has been identified as Luis Alberto Olivas García, whose body showed no signs of life when immigration officials discovered him earlier this week. 

García was killed at a migration checkpoint around 30 miles south of the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, according to a statement from the National Migration Institute shared by The New York Times. The Mexican city is just across the border from the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas.

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Mexican officials provided conflicting statements regarding the number of suspects arrested in connection with the agent's death.

National authorities reported that three migrants had been arrested, two Venezuelan men and a Colombian man. But a Chihuahua security ministry spokesperson, Jorge Armendáriz, said state authorities only had two Venezuelan men in custody. 

The Christian Post reached out to the Consular Section for clarification but did not receive a response before press time. 

According to Armendáriz, preliminary reports found that the agent's body had wounds that may have occurred due to a sharp object and a head injury likely caused by a rock.

Public security officials said that the body of the slain immigration agent showed "signs of violence," Reuters reported. It's not immediately clear what charges they are facing. 

The killing follows reports of migrants attempting to rush the border before the end of President Joe Biden's term.

Trump and his team have discussed initiating deportations of illegal immigrants as part of the administration's promises to strengthen border security. 

Last week, a leaked Texas Department of Public Safety memo shared by The New York Post detailed members of the Tren de Aragua gang attacking a U.S. border gate. Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal gang, has gained notoriety in the U.S. following reports of gang members allegedly taking over apartment buildings and committing other crimes.

At least 20 members of the gang attempted to storm the U.S. border gate, according to the memo. The members carried blades, tire irons and broken bottles, and the memo warned of another planned attack on New Year's Day. 

Victor Avila, a retired agent for Homeland Security Investigations, told The New York Post that he believes the gang is trying to make its way into the United States because of Trump's promises to curb the flow of illegal immigration. 

"You're seeing that violence at the border because they know that it's going to change in 27 days. It's going to change. It's going to be different, and they're going to be sought after," he told The Post.

Mexico is working on plans to take back its citizens who are deported after Trump's Inauguration Day, scheduled for Jan. 20. 

The Mexican government will open 25 shelters along its northern border for deported immigrants, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda told Border Report. Six facilities will be in Tijuana, with another two in Mexicali, Baja's capital city.

Each of the facilities is capable of accommodating 500 people, and the shelters will either house single men, women or unaccompanied children or families. The shelters are scheduled to open their doors on Jan. 20.