A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after being convicted of abusive conduct on duty. Miguel Angel Delgado Jr., aged 41, faced charges related to two separate incidents involving the use of excessive force at the Bridge of Americas Port of Entry, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Details from the trial indicate that during his tenure between October 2019 and June 2020, Delgado committed acts that resulted in bodily harm to the victims. Adding to his offenses, Delgado was found to have falsified a CBP Incident Log Report to misrepresent the circumstances surrounding one of these encounters.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza from the Western District of Texas announced the sentencing, following an investigation spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility. The case against Delgado was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Aguayo, Sarah Valenzuela, and Debra Kanof.
The implications of Delgado's actions are severe, not simply in terms of the immediate harm inflicted upon those at the receiving end of his excessive force, but for the larger discourse on law enforcement's relationship with the communities they are sworn to protect. Yet, his sentencing also serves as a reminder that there exist mechanisms within the system to hold individuals accountable for their misdeeds.
