Eyes this week are on the Ysleta Border station, a migrant port of entry near El Paso, following the fatal shooting of a Mexican migrant by patrol agents on Tuesday, Oct. 4, after the man allegedly threatened agents with a weapon, The Washington Post first reported. 

Manuel Morán, 33, attempted to cross the border, but was caught and detained by USBP agents. The FBI told The Washington Post Morán had been mostly compliant at the time of his capture, but became hostile after he ran out of a holding cell to grab a weapon, the agency said late Wednesday.

At the holding facility, Morán proceeded to grab an “edged weapon” from a nearby desk and allegedly threatened agents. An unnamed source, unauthorized to speak on matters surrounding the incident told the Post the weapon in question was a pair of scissors. 

After unsuccessful attempts to de-escalate Morán, agents shot him.

“Agents provided verbal commands and attempted to gain control by utilizing non-deadly force methods, specifically taser, which was unsuccessful. Agents continued providing verbal commands,” the FBI statement read.

“However, Morán continued to advance upon them with the edged weapon at which time he was shot by Agents,” the statement continued.

Morán later died at the hospital from fatal injuries. The federal law enforcement agency tells media outlets the investigation is ongoing and is unable to provide further details at the moment, save the sourced comments received at the Post. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the agency’s internal affairs division, is working with the FBI to investigate the shooting.

Morán, who previously resided in Colorado in 2011, was deported for murder conviction charges, as well as assault, before this week’s incident, the FBI said of his history with the agency. 

Incidents at the border observe a steady rise as statistics published by USBP reports an increase in use-of-force occurrences by BP agents. In September of last year, there were 15 recorded use-of-force encounters, whereas in 2022, so far, there have been 17 recorded incidents. 

Agency spokespersons did not comment directly on the matter of use-of-force encounters by patrol officers. USBP agents regularly carry firearms in their person.

The USBP has been long subject to scrutiny from activism groups and advocacy organizations given a longstanding history of mistreatment at the agency’s facilities. Earlier this month, the Washington Office on Latin America released a disturbing report detailing instances of item seizures at the hands of the USBP.

Items confiscated, according to USBP guidelines, must be returned to their owners, but the agency has failed to detail a logistical returns process, resulting in the absolute loss of memorabilia, religious headwear, and in some cases, a monetary loss. 

Following intense probing on behalf of advocacy groups and Congress, the USBP issued guidance for the confiscation of religious items.

After the ACLU sent a letter outlining these instances, the USBP offered an internal investigation in response.