2014-09-08

MCALLEN, Texas (CBS Houston/AP) — Border Patrol officials say a 54-year-old Mexican man apparently hanged himself at a Border Patrol station in South Texas.

A statement issued said agents found the man unresponsive at the McAllen station shortly before noon Friday.

Officials said agents immediately began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and contacted emergency medical services for further assistance. The man was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

The FBI said an investigative review was being coordinated with Border Patrol internal affairs and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector general.

Immigration activist John Michael Torres, who is a spokesperson with La Union Del Pueblo Entero, told KGBT-TV he doesn’t understand how something like this could have happened.

“With so many people and so many agents, how was he able to do this?” Torres questioned.

Torres warns that this could happen again.

“There needs to be action taken, or it will happen again”, Torres told KGBT.

The Border Patrol’s McAllen station was overwhelmed this summer by a surge in unaccompanied child immigrants and families, mostly from Central America. However, their numbers have dropped dramatically in the past two months and overcrowding was no longer a problem.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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