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.
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