Border Patrol Agent Who Hit Migrant With Truck Pleads Guilty

Matthew Bowen, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, had sent a text message referring to immigrants as “subhuman” and “murdering savages,” according to court documents.

By Mihir Zaveri and Mariel Padilla
Aug. 12, 2019

A Border Patrol agent who intentionally hit a Guatemalan migrant with his truck in Arizona in 2017 — and who had referred to immigrants in a text message as “subhuman” and “mindless murdering savages” — has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, according to a document filed in federal court on Monday.

The agent, Matthew Bowen, who was stationed in Nogales, will face up to one year in prison and could be fined $100,000 when he is sentenced on Oct. 15 for deprivation of rights under color of law, according to the plea agreement.

Mr. Bowen also said in the plea agreement that he would resign from the Border Patrol. He was suspended in June 2018, according to The Arizona Daily Star.

Mr. Bowen was indicted in May 2018 on the deprivation charge and another count charging him with lying to investigators.

The episode in question took place on Dec. 3, 2017. Court documents say that Mr. Bowen hit the migrant, Antolin Rolando Lopez-Aguilar, with his truck and nearly ran him over after Mr. Lopez-Aguilar appeared to be trying to cross into the United States illegally.

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