A Mexican national has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison for the assault of a United States Border Patrol agent, following an altercation near Bracketville. The Department of Justice announced that 21-year-old Adrian Olan-Peralta of Tabasco, Mexico, received a 14-month sentence after pleading guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a USBP agent during an attempted arrest on a private ranch. according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, the incident occurred on February 3, 2024.
Olan-Peralta had crossed illegally into the U.S. from Mexico via the Rio Grande River on February 2, 2024. Upon being discovered by a USBP agent the following day, he was commanded to surrender. However, Olan-Peralta resisted arrest, attempting to quickly grab and push the agent’s hands multiple times. After two uses of OC spray and an attempt by Olan-Peralta to crawl away, he was eventually apprehended. Olan-Peralta's resistance led to his guilty plea on May 13, 2024.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and brought to court as part of Operation Take Back America. This initiative, outlined by Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas, aims to stem the tide of illegal immigration and dismantle the networks of cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Kass and Rex Beasley, who have focused on disrupting the entities threatening community safety.
The sentencing carries symbolic weight as it falls under the umbrella of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide campaign designed to, in part, repel the perceived invasion of illegal immigration. The operation marshals the Department of Justice's resources, joining forces between the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), to rigorously safeguard communities. This sentence sends a clear message regarding the consequences of obstructing law enforcement officers who are enforcing the nation's border laws.
