A Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally to kill a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been given a hefty sentence after prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Marcos Rodriguez-Perez was previously given “supervised release” by U.S. authorities for illegally smuggling human beings into the US. While on supervised release, the illegal alien participated in the 2009 killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas, Jr., along with three other Mexican nationals who had also entered the U.S. illegally or otherwise played a role in the killing. The four admittedly took advantage of the unsecured U.S./Mexico border and lured, trapped, and murdered the young Border Patrol agent for the purpose of stealing his night-vision goggles.

Rodriguez-Perez will serve 56 years in a U.S. prison cell for his participation in the crime. He pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping, robbery of personal property of the United States, and use and carrying of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In a Breitbart news exclusive, National Border Patrol Council Vice President Shawn Moran stated: “The fact that this killer was on supervised release for alien smuggling compounds this tragedy. We need to take alien smuggling and immigration crimes seriously. This case belies the commonly held notion that illegal aliens are good people just coming to the US to look for work.”

Moran also honored Border Patrol Agent Rosas and stated: “Robert Rosas is what every Border Patrol agent should aspire to be. A hard worker, a loving husband, and devoted father.” He added: “He served the nation he loved and fought with tenacity until his final moment. He serves now as a Border Patrol legend and will never be forgotten by his brothers and sisters in green.”

The death of Border Patrol Agent Rosas and the circumstances surrounding the ordeal have highlighted a number of recent issues facing the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol. Many of them are alone in desolate areas where their radios do not work; they face constant threats from left-of-center efforts to prevent them from defending themselves; and U.S. authorities routinely decline to prosecute illegal aliens who attack Border Patrol agents, according to the National Border Patrol Council.