U.S. Border Guards Operate With Violent Impunity

An interesting story from The Dallas Observer that details the violent death of an immigrant in Border Patrol custody in San Diego, Calif. and then tells us about the bigger issue of border guard impunity. Here’s an excerpt:

“Witnesses said that Hernandez Rojas was facedown on the ground, his arms handcuffed behind his back. Three agents were piled on top of him, one driving his knee into Hernandez Rojas’ back, another pushing his knee into the deportee’s neck. Other federal agents were kicking the father of five on each side of his body.

“His chilling cries for mercy caught the attention of pedestrians on a nearby bridge that leads to Tijuana….About 12 hours later, doctors removed him from life support and pronounced him dead…the fact remains that the violent actions of border agents — who deal with a population of detainees who wind up back in Mexico, speak little or no English, and/or are too afraid or unsophisticated to complain — are cloaked in secrecy.”

There’s always a lot to be said about police brutality. I think it’s a mistake to automatically assume that all Border Patrol or Customs or ICE agents are bad guys. This is simply not the case, it’s simplistic and it’s a little fanatical. The fact remains, however, that anytime police have too little oversight, like our racist Seattle cop for example, stuff like this will happen.