U.S. Attorney Secures 19 Year Sentence for Attempted Murder of Border Patrol Agent

ALBUQUERQUE – An El Paso man was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for attempting to murder a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a routine immigration stop in New Mexico.

According to court documents, on January 5, 2023, Roberto Esquivel, 25, was pulled over by a Border Patrol agent on a rural section of New Mexico Highway 146 for a routine immigration inspection. When the agent approached the vehicle, he observed individuals inside whom he suspected of being undocumented immigrants. The agent asked Esquivel to exit the vehicle. Instead, Esquivel produced a firearm and shot the agent, striking him twice in the torso area.

After shooting the agent, Esquivel fled the scene but lost control of the vehicle and rolled it multiple times. He ran from the crash site and threw the gun into the desert. Law enforcement officers subsequently apprehended Esquivel and recovered the discarded firearm.

The Border Patrol agent survived the shooting, largely due to his ballistic vest. One of the passengers required airlift to a hospital but has since recovered from injuries sustained during the incident.

Upon his release from prison, Esquivel will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, Jason T. Stevens, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - El Paso, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. McNair is prosecuting the case.

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