U.S. national security officials working at a Texas checkpoint recently discovered that a Mexican national had committed document fraud by using the name of a fellow Border Patrol agent. The 24-year-old immigrant had a driver’s license, birth certificate and Social Security card in the name of the agent, local media reports said.
The immigrant, identified as Orlando Castaneda-Diaz, was on a Houston-bound bus when he was stopped around 1 a.m. He said he purchased the documents in Mexico for $2,000 before illegally crossing the border April 12. He later shaved his head to appear more like the Border Patrol agent pictured on the license.
Castaneda-Diaz faces charges of making a false claim to U.S. citizenship. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a detention hearing.
Document fraud poses “a severe threat to national security and public safety” that can allow immigrants to enter and remain in the United States, federal immigration officials say. Recently, more than a dozen immigrants in Texas were arrested for using false documents to obtain work. They face up to 20 years in federal prison and deportation.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!