BROWNSVILLE, Texas (CN) - A suspected illegal migrant from Honduras claims a U.S. Border Patrol agent beat her on the ankle with a baton, dragged her 50 feet through the desert and denied her medical care.
Agents arrested Nubia Zavala-Reyes in February 2008 after finding her walking through the desert near McAllen at about 4 a.m., according to her federal lawsuit.
The agents "suspected the individuals they discovered were in the United States unlawfully," according to Zavala-Reyes.
As she tried to scale a fence, "an agent of the defendant struck plaintiff in her leg with the agent's baton ... [and] violently pulled plaintiff causing plaintiff to fall flat to the ground," the lawsuit states. "Defendant agent then dragged plaintiff along the desert ground for about 50 feet."
At the South Texas Detention Complex, agents denied Zavala-Reyes "adequate medical attention," she says, and after she was released on bond she had to have six metal screws put in her ankle.
"Plaintiff has not fully recovered from this injury and it is unlikely that she will fully recover from her injuries," the complaint claims. "Plaintiff continues to suffer pain and discomfort for the injuries she sustained as a result of defendant's agent assault."
Zavala-Reyes, a native of Honduras who lives in Indiana, sued the United States for battery and negligence, seeking unspecified damages.
She is represented by Alfonso Otero of Gonzalez & Otero of San Antonio.
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