Posted: Sunday, November 8, 2015 10:15 pm
By FERNANDO DEL VALLE | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — The mother of a Border Patrol agent hopes to see her son’s shooting death classified as “in the line of duty.”
On Aug. 3, 2014, Agent Javier Vega Jr. was fatally shot and his father wounded during an attempted robbery as they fished with family members in the Santa Monica area.

Two Mexican nationals are charged with capital murder and attempted capital murder in the case.

Vega’s mother, Marie Vega, is asking U.S. Customs and Border Protection to reclassify the manner of his death to reflect it was in the line of duty.

“I’m hoping it gets done,” Marie Vega of La Feria said Friday. “I think he should be honored that way.”

Now, she has help from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville.

Cornyn and Vela have requested Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske to classify Vega’s death as the result of a shooting in the line of duty.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Cornyn said Vega’s “brave actions” should prompt his death to be reclassified.

The National Border Patrol Council has passed a resolution calling for the reclassification of Vega’s death, Cornyn and Vela said.

The lawmakers said the reclassification would allow Vega’s family to receive survivor benefits earned through service to his country.

Javier Vega Jr., 36, of Kingsville, died of a gunshot wound to the chest and Javier Vega Sr., of La Feria, was shot in the lower back and released from a hospital about two days later.

Cornyn and Vela requested Kerlikowske reclassify Vega’s death because he “made the ultimate sacrifice” to protect his family.
“According to witness reports, agent Vega was shot at point-blank range while defending his family and community during an attempted armed robbery,” Cornyn and Vela wrote to Kerlikowske.

“The brave men and women of American law enforcement are never off duty — they stand ready to protect us from threats to our safety and security at all times,” the lawmakers wrote.

“In recognition of this fact, the president and the United States Congress enacted a number of laws that encourage off-duty law enforcement agents to respond to violent crimes in progress, incapacitate criminals and save lives. Javier Vega was a hero who stood up for these values and upheld his oath to protect and serve by making the ultimate sacrifice.”

On the Senate floor, Cornyn argued law enforcement officers are always on duty.

“Everybody in law enforcement knows that you’re never truly off duty and Javier’s brave actions that fateful day back in 2014 should be classified as a death occurring in the line of duty,” Cornyn said.

“Who were the killers? Well, they were two illegal immigrant criminals who had repeatedly violated our laws. Both had been deported multiple times but managed to repeatedly find their way back into the country, even after committing a long list of crimes. In fact, according to some witnesses, these two men had been terrorizing the community for months.”
Cornyn added, “for the Vega family, their lives will never be the same.”

Gustavo Tijerina-Sandoval and Ismael Hernandez-Vallejo are charged in the case and were last known to be in custody without bond.

Authorities have said their arrests helped them crack down on a string of armed robberies at remote fishing spots in the Rio Hondo area.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/new...efd7ed701.html