Report: Widespread Abuse By Patrol Agents Along Border

Last week the humanitarian organization No More Deaths released a document detailing widespread abuses by border patrol agents against people in their custody.   The report, A Culture of Cruelty, includes information gathered over two-and-a-half years from over 12,000 individuals in more than 4,100 interviews conducted on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and concludes that there exists “an institutional culture of abuse within Border Patrol” and that “the senseless abuse of immigrants along the border and in […] custody is certain to continue” unless drastic changes are made.

A Culture of Cruelty provides detailed accounts from people detained by the U.S. Border Patrol who were subjected to abuses including being denied water after suffering severe hydration, denial of medical treatment for life-threatening illness or injury, beatings during apprehensions and while in custody, separation from family members during repatriation, and psychological torment by government agents.

Some of the worst incidents from the report include those in custody being denied food for two days, and women and children being repatriated back to unfamiliar cities far from their entry point with little or no money, leaving them exposed to more abuse after deportation.

The report is also critical of the custody standards that are in place, claiming they “are inadequate and are not subject to the oversight necessary to ensure their implementation.”  Meaning there are several memoranda prohibiting inhumane treatment which aren’t being enforced or fail to cover all human rights concerns.  For example, while there are guidelines that are intended to ensure that all detainees have access to food and water (though they are frequently ignored), there’s nothing that prohibits physical or psychological abuse.

According to the authors of the document, the root of the problem is the lack of transparency within the agency and its oversight structure.  Border Patrol denies any wrongdoings despite all the evidence suggesting the contrary, and if migrants have any complaints, they are expected to file them while still in custody.  This is complicated even further provided that the The Office of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties (CRCL), which handles complaints and cases against customs and border patrol agents, who are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is under the umbrella of the DHS. Basically all the grievances against one family member are being heard by another and appear to be falling upon deaf ears.

What may be most considerable about the testimonies though, is that in spite of all of the dangers people face in attempts to cross the border:

Notably, 69.3 percent of those interviewed answered that they would continue to try to cross the border to reunite with family in the U.S. Individuals who named rejoining family as their number one reason to cross again were also more likely to report that their family was dependent on their income, that their youngest child in the U.S. was less than 5 years old, and that they were married or in a relationship. For many in this situation, with no other way to see their children, spouse or home again, no amount of personal risk or inhumane treatment will ever be an effective “deterrent.”

Even if it includes subjecting themselves to harsh desert conditions and suffering abuse at the hands of government officials, migrants will do whatever it takes to be reconnected with loved ones on the U.S. side.

Read the report  in its entirety or the executive summary made available by No More Deaths.

References:

• Colorlines