Border Patrol agent busted as illegal immigrant

A Border Patrol agent has been busted for being an illegal immigrant and smuggling illegal immigrants:

Oscar Antonio Ortiz, a Mexican citizen who was born in Tijuana, allegedly secured his job with the Border Patrol in 2001 by using a fake birth certificate that stated he was born in Chicago. Authorities say the number on his birth certificate corresponds to that of another person who was born one month before him. Ortiz, 28, pleaded not guilty to charges of migrant smuggling and making a false citizenship claim. U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Battaglia scheduled a hearing Wednesday to consider bail.

Yikes. I guess the agent used some sophisticated, difficult-to-detect technique to forge his identity. Or maybe not:

T.J. Bonner, who heads a labor union of Border Patrol agents, said the FBI used to perform background checks on prospective employees but turned that work over to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. "It's a two-minute phone call to verify whether the number (on the birth certificate) matches the name," said Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council. "Any rookie who is trained in immigration law could have figured that out."

[Hat-tip: Laurence]