Secret underground room at Border Patrol agent's home may have hidden illegal immigrants
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An investigation is continuing in the case of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who allegedly had a secret underground room at his home authorities believe was built to hide drugs and illegal immigrants.
Federal prosecutors laid out their case against the agent in court Wednesday.
Authorities found the hidden room beneath a concrete slab in the backyard patio, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Tara McGrath. When federal agents the room, they found an illegal immigrant hiding under a table, McGrath said. Agents also found 61 grams of methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia and narcotics packaging materials in the home, she said.
The agent, Marcos Gerardo Manzano Jr., 26, was arrested earlier this week and charged with harboring illegal immigrants at his home, among them his father, a twice-deported illegal immigrant with a criminal record.
Manzano Jr., who was arrested Monday night at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station, travels regularly to Mexico to visit his girlfriend and family members, said McGrath, who urged the judge to bar any foreign travel if he posted bond, which was set at $75,000.
The agent’s father, Marcos Gerardo Manzano Sr., 46, had allegedly lived at his son’s home in the border community of San Ysidro since September 2009. He had been deported in 2008 after being convicted of possession of marijuana for sale. Manzano Jr. also is accused of lying to a federal investigator, allegedly stating that he didn’t know his father’s whereabouts.
Manzano Sr. was not found at the home and remains at large.
RELATED:
Border Patrol agent arrested for harboring twice-deported illegal immigrant -- his father
-- Richard Marosi in San Diego
Photo: FBI outside agent's house. Credit: Fox 5 San Diego
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Looks like this idiot is going to prison...may as well toss his farther in jail also for reentering the US illegally...
Confiscate the house and auction it off...
Posted by: TheBigPicture | January 13, 2011 at 08:09 AM
Hilariously counterproductive. Why would you station someone who has extremely close ties to Mexican citizens on the US/Mexico border?? It's like having a child watch over an open cookie jar...
Posted by: L. Spoon | January 13, 2011 at 08:10 AM
He's free to go.I do not get the feeling of any thing here.He will more or less steam roll over these charges one way or the other.He's free man.Congratulations amigo.
Posted by: asian annie | January 13, 2011 at 09:43 AM
What happened to background checks when hiring agents for the U.S. Border Patrol? Are we going to read about U.S. Border Patrol agents hired from one of Mexico's drug cartels?
Posted by: Miles | January 13, 2011 at 09:47 AM
seriously, who is running this country. I am a naturalized citizen from central america and trust no one from my own ethnicity. I know how they think, how they act and perceived the world, especially first generation american. you need at least two generation removed in order to understand what america is all about. Now this joke to put mexican american who is loyalty is more to being mexican than american.............it blows my mind who is screening the candidates to protect and enforced immigration laws. Is Gil, california congressman, in charge of this interview process?
Posted by: Jac | January 13, 2011 at 10:41 AM
This would be a non-issue in L.A., sadly.
Posted by: Mcgibby | January 13, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Using Mexicans to keep other Mexicans out doesn't seem to be working. Now what?
Posted by: inbox1909 | January 13, 2011 at 11:22 AM
I don't know if this is the case in this particular situation but the Mexican cartel's have been trying to put some of their own through the Border Patrol academy. It's a scary thought and something that needs to be addressed on a much deeper level. I understand that native speakers will have the most fluent Spanish, which we need, but the vetting process of these people needs to be more rigorous whenever possible.
Posted by: The Owl | January 13, 2011 at 11:24 AM
You know what, I would've done the same.
I would've hid my father as well, I mean who wouldn't, but I wouldn't have drugs there, I think thats just dumb.
And yea, what ever did happen to background checks? Now he just makes the other Latinos that are border patrol look suspicious. But my question is how did they find out? Did they already suspect him or did someone rat him out?
Posted by: Maryjane | January 13, 2011 at 11:27 AM
"What happened to background checks when hiring agents for the U.S. Border Patrol? Are we going to read about U.S. Border Patrol agents hired from one of Mexico's drug cartels?"
^^^^^^
You must be CRAZY to think the cartel doesn't ALREADY have tons of boarder patrol on their pay roll. They make hundreds of millions....do the math.
Surprised we haven't read anything yet.
Posted by: mw | January 13, 2011 at 12:33 PM
What was it the pro-amnesty crowd was saying about how children of illegal aliens contribute so much to our society?
Posted by: Bill | January 13, 2011 at 02:15 PM
This is one agent that should be put behind bars and the keys thrown away. What he did was wrong and against the law.
Also, because he was not doing the job that he had sworn to do. I hope that his tail-end is sent to jail and never again to be heard from.
Posted by: ketrout | January 13, 2011 at 02:36 PM
Well, he has plenty of friends and relatives in Mexico. So they all want to hook up with him, because he is a border partrol agent....NICE! No one would suspect his van with load of illegal immigrants. Therefore, I am not suprised at all. Of course in my opionion, there are plenty of Mexican-Americans are doing stuffs like him, and they may have smuggled drugs or without drugs. It is hard to screen out those bad guys, because some of them did not plan to do it when they got hired by the government. After a while, they may expose to easy money to bring drugs and illegal immigrants to United States. Some of them may felt the pressure from their family and friends to help those people to find a better life in the United States. Indeed, our government got to think twice about hiring Mexican-American as our border patrol agents, since other Americans may not have any relatives and problems in Mexico or even have a Mexican girl friend.
Posted by: Ronson Bao Pham | January 13, 2011 at 03:04 PM
Apparently he was doing a whole lot more than harboring his father.
Posted by: Alex P. Gomez | January 13, 2011 at 09:26 PM
Dear President Obama,
"Your Administration's decision to drop deportation proceedings against "non-violent" illegal aliens shows a profound lack of respect for those Americans and legal immigrants unable to find jobs. For the sake of all Americans, I expect you to allow ICE to do its job and is allowed to arrest and deport all illegal aliens they arrest.
The White House's recent decision to force ICE to release illegal aliens who have committed identity fraud and other "non-violent" crimes is outlandish. Not only have these individuals come to this country illegally, they have also committed serious criminal offenses. However, because they have not committed "violent" crimes and are not deemed to be terrorists, you believe they deserve to stay in the country. How sickening."
Go to NumbersUSA.com to send Obama a fax similar to this. . .
Posted by: panola | January 14, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Not surprise many agent are already recruit by cartel...its just a matter of time. Then again...are they more loyal to Mexican and their own country or the USA.
Posted by: Paul Zano | January 14, 2011 at 05:04 PM