An immigrant detained for illegally attempting to enter the US killed himself in a Texas jail cell last month, according to a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.
Marco Antonio Munoz was apprehended by agents of the Weslaco, Texas, Border Patrol station on May 11 for attempting illegal entry into the US, according to a statement released by Customs and Border Protection. Munoz was then transferred to the Rio Grande Valley Central Processing Center.
While being processed there, he became disruptive and combative, so for his safety and the safety of others, he was transferred to a jail in Starr County, Texas, CBP said.
On May 13, the Starr County Sheriff’s Office notified CBP that Munoz was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead of an apparent suicide. The Texas Rangers are currently the lead investigative agency into Munoz’s death.
Last month’s death comes amid a new wave of aggressive Trump administration policies toward immigrants. Last month, the administration decided to refer every person caught crossing the border illegally for federal prosecution, a policy that is likely to result in the separation of immigrant parents from their children at the border.
