The FBI arrested two Venezuelan nationals Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a federal border patrol agent while trying to cross the U.S. border in Texas.

The FBI said the two were arrested after border patrol agents chased a group of suspected undocumented immigrants trying to cross the border into an El Paso neighborhood on Oct. 31.

Asylum-seeking migrants are detained by a U.S. Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 30, 2022.
Asylum-seeking migrants are detained by a U.S. Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 30, 2022. Reuters / JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ

The FBI said Kevin Escalona Gonzalez, 35, and Yuleixy Mata Fuentes, 27 are undocumented immigrants who resisted arrest after agents caught up to them and attempted to handcuff them. During the altercation, the FBI says a border patrol agent was pushed, dragged and punched.

"The men and women of the US Border Patrol work tirelessly to keep our borders safe," said FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey. "Assaults on Border Patrol agents or any other federal agents/officers or task force officers will not be tolerated and will be addressed swiftly by our office so they can continue to carry out their sworn duty to protect our communities."

Activists in Mexico, some of whom held the Venezuelan flag, protested U.S. immigration policy after the arrests. Border patrol agents shot pepper balls at the demonstrators along the Rio Grande International Boundary near El Paso.

Border protests
Venezuelan migrants run towards Mexico after crossing into the United States as US Border Patrol agent aims his weapon during a protest against US immigration policies on October 31, 2022. Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

The number of Venezuelans trying to cross the border has quadrupled in the past year because of worsening economic conditions. More than 7 million Venezuelans now live as refugees or migrants outside their country, according to the United Nations.

Gonzalez and Fuentes both had their initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge on Nov. 1 and are currently held at the El Paso County Correctional Facility.