A Honduran man scheduled for deportation is accused of lunging at and striking a contract nurse at the Port Isabel Detention Center with a closed fist.
Nelson Ortez-Pena is charged with forcibly assaulting a contract employee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement who was engaged in the performance of official duties.
The alleged attack occurred on Sept. 20, but federal authorities did not file a criminal complaint against Ortez-Pena until Tuesday, court records show.
According to a criminal complaint, the nurse who was allegedly attacked was attempting to measure Ortez-Pena’s blood pressure.
The criminal complaint does not describe any injuries the nurse may have sustained.
Ortez-Pena made his first appearance before a federal magistrate judge Tuesday where he was granted a $50,000 cash bond on the conditions that he satisfy an immigration detainer and establish substantial ties to the community.
After the hearing, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Ortez-Pena is scheduled for a probable cause hearing on Oct. 3.
