Fugitive Father of Border Patrol Agent Arrested

A fugitive Mexican national whose son, a U.S. Border Patrol agent, allegedly harbored him illegally in his San Ysidro home for months, turned himself in Sunday.

Marcos Gerardo Manzano Sr., 46, surrendered at a Chula Vista Border Patrol Station on Sunday around 11 a.m., according to the FBI.

Manzano Jr. was arrested at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station by Task Force agents around midnight Jan. 10.

During the 26-year-old agent's Jan. 12 arraignment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara
McGrath told Magistrate Judge Louisa Porter that agents serving a search warrant at his home found 61 grams of methamphetamine and paraphernalia to package and distribute the drug.

A federal criminal complaint charges Manzano Sr. and his son, Marcos Gerardo Manzano Jr., with violations of immigration laws.

Manzano Jr., a U.S. citizen, was arrested late on the evening of Jan. 10 at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station, where he worked. Shortly before dawn the next day, a federal SWAT team and FBI raided the agent's house in the 3600 block of Shooting Star Drive and arrested suspected illegal immigrant Jose
Alfredo Garrido-Morena, 26.

Garrido-Morena was found hiding in a backyard bunker, the prosecutor said. The underground chamber—about 7 to 8 feet high—was covered by a concrete slab and accessible by a wooden ladder, authorities said.

According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego, Garrido-Morena had been living at the residence since at least November along with the agent and Manzano Sr.

In addition to purportedly harboring undocumented immigrants, Manzano Jr. allegedly lied to a fellow Border Patrol employee when asked while on duty if he knew the whereabouts of his father, who was convicted four years ago in a U.S. court of possessing marijuana for sale and was twice deported to Mexico.

Manzano Jr., a Border Patrol officer since 2007, also had been convicted of a misdemeanor DUI charge but failed to report it to his supervisor as required, according to prosecutors.

Defense attorney Frank Ragen said Manzano Jr. had moved out of the Shooting Star home when his parents divorced but recently started living there again. The  prosecutor, however, said Manzano Jr., the owner of the property, had been residing there as far back as September 2009.

McGrath, arguing unsuccessfully for a $200,000 bond, said Manzano Jr. had a girlfriend in Mexico and other substantial ties to that country.

Judge Louisa Porter set bail at $75,000 and said Manzano Jr. had to restrict his travel to the Southern District of California.

Garrido-Morena, who was arraigned on a charge of being a deported alien found in the United States, has three prior misdemeanors on his record and a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

Manzano Sr. was booked into county jail in Chula Vista. He is expected to appear before a federal judge Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.