An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. CBP Field Operations Arrests Capital Murder Suspect at Hidalgo International Bridge

CBP Field Operations Arrests Capital Murder Suspect at Hidalgo International Bridge

Release Date
Tue, 03/12/2019

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a man from Mission, Texas wanted on capital murder charges from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our ability to inspect and perform database queries on every person seeking entry into the United States has allowed our CBP officers to detect this person who was wanted on homicide charges,” said David Gonzalez., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Having biometric verification tools at our disposal is an asset towards the identification of persons and allows us to assist our law-enforcement partners with the detection of fleeing felons.”

A CBP officer conducts a primary pedestrian inspection at Hidalgo International Bridge
A CBP officer conducts a pedestrian primary
examination at Hidalgo International Bridge.

On March 10, CBP officers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge encountered Javier Rodriguez Mendez, a 29-year-old male Mexican national, lawful permanent resident at the pedestrian walkway returning from Mexico. Officers escorted Rodriguez into secondary for further inspection after an initial check revealed a possible match to an outstanding arrest warrant. Biometric verification confirmed the active arrest warrant from 2016 for an incident that occurred in 2015 where Rodriguez was charged with capital murder charges, a first-degree felony.

CBP OFO arrested Rodriguez and subsequently turned him over to the custody of deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

For more information on the immigration inspection process visit this link on CBP.gov, Immigration Inspection Program.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021