Border wall

Man is Arrested, Fined for Vandalizing Border Fence

The U.S. Border Patrol said Mexican authorities arrested a man in Mexicali after he allegedly cut the barbed wire over the fence at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a Twitter post by Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector, Bovino reported that the man was also fined $610 to fix the barbed wire he cut with pliers.

The suspect reportedly became the first person to be charged with cutting off part of the border wall.

"Vandalize the border wall and you will pay to fix it," Bovino said in a tweet. "The border wall is effective, so are our efforts to protect it, thanks to our colleagues in the Mexicali police."

According to a Mexicali Municipal police spokesman, two men were originally arrested for damaging property outside the border fence by police on Aug. 11. Police identified them as Luis Enrique "N", 35, and Fernando de Jesús "N", 24.

When the men were arrested, they had with them pliers, a ladder, and two pieces of the barbed wire, police told Telemundo 20.

According to Mexican authorities, agents arrested the men for vandalism as they climbed over the border fence.

However, they said they did not know if the suspect identified as Fernando de Jesús "N" would have had to pay the fine.

Contact Us