Agent accused of lying about citizenship, claims he was born in Brownsville

Posted: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 11:19 am

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A July 3 trial has been set for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in southern Arizona accused of falsely claiming he was born in the United States.

Marco Antonio De la Garza Jr. has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to authorities.

Authorities say De la Garza claimed he was born in Brownsville, Texas, when he is in fact a native of Mexico.

He is accused of lying about his citizenship in October during a background check update tied to his job.

De la Garza also is accused of making false statements about his birth country last year when he sought a U.S. passport.

He has worked for the federal agency since April 2012.

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