A Salvadoran woman, Erika Jasmin Lobato-Melendez, has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The incident occurred on May 29, 2024, when the agent encountered Lobato-Melendez among a group of five individuals walking along the border wall.
According to the complaint, when the agent attempted to take the group into custody, Lobato-Melendez resisted by refusing to enter the vehicle and holding onto the border wall. During efforts to separate her from the fence, she bit an agent's forearm, resulting in bruising and abrasions. Despite being subdued on the ground, she continued her aggressive behavior by attempting further bites and kicking.
Upon completion of her prison sentence, Lobato-Melendez will face two years of supervised release followed by deportation proceedings.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez alongside Chief Patrol Agent Walter "Neil" Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office.
The case was investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. McNair is leading the prosecution.