Mexicali

An Immigration and Naturalization Service spokesman Saturday acknowledged that six off-duty U.S. Border Patrol officers had been briefly detained Friday in the Mexican border city of Mexicali following a disagreement with a citizen there.

The Reuter News Service, citing a story run by the Mexican news agency Notimex, reported that the six unidentified officers were arrested shortly before dawn Friday after they allegedly beat up a lawyer who had complained about their drunken and disorderly conduct.

Duke Austin, an INS spokesman in Washington, acknowledged Saturday that officials had been contacted about the incident by Chief Johnny Williams of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro sector. Williams could not be reached Saturday.

“We had six off-duty officers go to Mexico on their own time, like they have the right to do as private citizens,” he said. “We understand that they had a disagreement of some kind and were briefly detained by Mexican officials and released. But they were in no way representing the U.S. government or the U.S. Border Patrol.

“That’s all we know about the incident. I mean, the men were not in uniform. They have the right to do whatever they please on their own hours. We don’t follow them home.”

Austin said he did not know whether any charges had been filed in the incident. It was also not clear where the officers were stationed.