Mexican Congressman Denies Being Detained at U.S. Port of Entry … Then Recants

A Mexican federal congressman denied that he was detained by U.S. authorities while trying to enter Texas and that news stories in Mexico about his detention are politically motivated. Two days later, the politician was forced to admit that he did spend approximately 12 hours at the port of entry and that he would have to renew his visa.

The incident began on Friday night when Mexican Federal Congressman Mario “La Borrega” Lopez tried to cross into Brownsville through a port of entry. Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection took the Mexican politician to a back room for questioning, where he spent approximately 12 hours before being sent back to Mexico. U.S. federal authorities have not released any information related to the incident.

Initially, Lopez issued a prepared statement denying that any incident or detention had occurred at the port of entry and stating that news articles about it were unfounded rumors.

However, on Monday, Lopez went on air with Mexican journalist Azucena Uresti and revealed that he had spent approximately 12 hours at a port of entry, where U.S. authorities questioned him and then revoked his visa.

The politician attempted to downplay the incident, claiming that he was initially sent for a secondary inspection because his visa had been damaged due to wear and tear. He then claimed that during secondary inspection, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection informed him that there was a notice from Washington requiring additional information about him.

Lopez did not go into details about what happened to his visa, but admitted that he was working on getting it back. It remains unclear whether the U.S. officials revoked the visa as part of an investigation or if it was due to what he claimed was damage to the document.