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Border official indicted in 2019 incident at Columbus Port of Entry

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Federal prosecutors last week indicted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in a 2019 incident at the Columbus Port of Entry in Luna County.

Oscar Orrantia, 36, of Santa Teresa, was indicted on Wednesday for depriving an unidentified U.S. citizen “of his constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizures,” according to the federal grand jury indictment.

The indictment also alleges that Orrantia caused physical injury to the man, identified only as “John Doe.”

Orrantia faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, according to a statement issued Monday by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez for the District of New Mexico.

“Those in whom we entrust the power and responsibility to enforce our laws have a paramount duty to protect the rights provided under the United States Constitution,” Uballez said in the statement. “Justice requires that we hold accountable those who abuse their positions and fail to uphold that responsibility.”

The statement and indictment list no details about what occurred or how the man was injured during the June 18, 2019, incident.

Orrantia was arrested Friday by Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso. The agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the case.

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