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 / Modified may 20, 2019 2:30 p.m.

Filing: Agent who knocked over migrant called them 'savages'

The court records say texts show a Border Patrol agent's "disdain" prior to allegedly knocking down a Guatemalan man.
by Associated Press

Border Patrol vehicle fence hero A Border Patrol vehicle at the fence on the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales.
AZPM Staff

PHOENIX — Federal court records say a Border Patrol agent in Arizona sent texts calling migrants "savages" and "subhuman" the month before knocking over a Guatemalan man with his patrol vehicle.

The filings earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Tucson say agent Matthew Bowen sent the text messages in November 2017, weeks before allegedly knocking down the Guatemalan.

Prosecutors say the messages show Bowen's "disdain for the aliens" and restrictions on how agents can apprehend migrants.

Bowen goes on trial Aug. 13 for depriving the migrant of his rights under color of law and falsifying records after the Dec. 3, 2017 incident. He has pleaded not guilty.

Tucson defense attorney Sean Chapman declined to comment on the charges.

The Border Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for reaction.

MORE: Border, Justice System, Law Enforcement, News
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