A Dec. 11 trial has been scheduled for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in southern Arizona accused of falsely claiming he was born in the United States.
Marco Antonio De la Garza Jr. has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to authorities.
Authorities say De la Garza claimed he was born in Brownsville, Texas, when he was actually born across the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico.
He is accused of lying about his citizenship during a background check update tied to his job.
De la Garza also is accused of making false statements about his birth country last year when he sought a U.S. passport.
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