A US Border Patrol agent was shot multiple times in New Mexico on Thursday.
According to a statement from the US Customs and Border Protection, the agent was hit in the chest multiple times at approximately 11:30 am by someone in the vehicle suspected of being used for human smuggling on State Road 146.
Fox News reported that the unidentified agent, who at the time was assigned to Lordsburg, New Mexico, was wearing body armor and survived.
The agent returned fire after being shot. The vehicle sped away but was involved in an accident several miles down the road and rolled over.
Six people found in the vehicle were taken into custody, and two were flown to a trauma center in El Paso, Texas.
The agent was released from the hospital after being evaluated.
The FBI, New Mexico State Police, and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the shooting.
President Joe Biden is expected to make his first visit to the southern border since taking office sometime next week as pressure has increased on the administration to take action to address the surge of illegal migrants. There were over 2.4 million arrests at the border in the 2022 fiscal year, according to CBP statistics.
On Thursday, Biden announced a new border policy to allow 30,000 migrants a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela into the US. He also ordered the deportation of those who illegally enter the US from those same countries.
