Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Immigrant Says Border Patrolman|Held Him Down As Train Severed His Foot

SAN DIEGO (CN) - A Border Patrol agent held him down while a train ran over him and cut off his foot, a Guatemalan immigrant says. Oswaldo Vanegas says his leg had to be amputated below the knee and he lost parts of two fingers when he tried to free his foot.

Vanegas says he fled after the agent found him and others aboard a freight train near San Ysidro. He says the agent tackled him and he fell onto the tracks beneath a stopped train.

"As the train began to move, the Border Patrol agent held onto Mr. Vanegas. The agent prevented Mr. Vanegas from moving off from the tracks towards safety," according to the federal complaint.

Illegal immigration to the U.S. has been on the decline since August 2007. Anti-immigration groups say heightened border security explains the trend. Economists and demographers point to the weakened economy.

Vanegas is represented by Matan Drelich. He demands $10 million.

Follow @@karinapdx
Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...