Mexican authorities are downplaying the murder of an American citizen who was killed as he waited at an international port of entry. Since the incident, officials tried to present him as a Mexican national, however, Breitbart Texas confirmed the victim held a U.S. passport.

On December 23, 41-year-old Oscar Manuel Resendez was in his vehicle at the Reynosa-Hidalgo Port of Entry when a gunman tried to take his car and shot him. The victim was a practicing dentist in Mexico but held dual citizenship.

Breitbart Texas confirmed with U.S. law enforcement and diplomatic sources that Resendez was born in Texas and held U.S. passport #579358740 issued on July 26, 2017.

In a statement sent out by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office, authorities claimed the victim was a “citizen of Reynosa that worked in a Pemex clinic.” The release appears to downplay the crime to not draw international scrutiny. However, on Christmas Day, gunmen held up another tourist and repeatedly beat him outside the same port, El Manana reported. The victim was wounded.

The murder and a rash of armed robberies in Reynosa come soon after the Tamaulipas government kicked off its winter security enforcement surge along several highways to protect the influx of tourist traffic. It remains unclear if city officials are implementing any additional measures.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.