PHOENIX – A report by a Tucson-based human rights group contends that Border Patrol agents routinely deny food, water and medical treatment to illegal immigrants in custody, including those in life-threatening conditions.
“It’s not a few border agents; it’s a general culture of cruelty perpetuated by the system of detention and deportation,” said Adam Aguirre, a spokesman for NoMoreDeaths.org.
The group’s report, which it says was based on interviews with 13,000 immigrants, alleges that Border Patrol agents committed more than 30,000 acts of abuse between 2008 and 2011. Those include cramming immigrants into cells, subjecting them to extreme temperatures, depriving them of sleep, threatening them with death and beating women and children.
A Border Patrol spokeswoman called the report false and said the agency doesn’t tolerate such acts.
According to the report, agents denied 2,981 aliens food and 863 people water. Only 20 percent of aliens in custody for more than two days received a meal, it said.
The report said 10 percent of those interviewed reported physical abuse and 86 percent of emergency medical cases were ignored. In 211 cases, agents took and didn’t return aliens’ money, it said.
Aguirre said the group, funded by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, decided to conduct the research after volunteers heard several similar stories from immigrants from both sides of the border, some of whom were already deported.
Katerina Sinclair, a statistical consultant and research associate with University of Arizona who worked independently on the project, said the Border Patrol is consistently violating human rights and has demonstrated that it doesn’t have the ability to police itself.
“We as Americans shouldn’t allow our agencies to violate people’s rights,” she said, adding that the agency needs a watchdog.
Crystal Amarillas, a spokeswoman for the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector, said all agents are trained and professional in handling apprehended aliens.
“These are obviously false accusations. We have logs and records of our agents feeding aliens in our custody,” she said.
Amarillas said agents are all emergency medical technicians and trained in CPR and evaluate any detainee who complains or appears unwell.
All the detention facilities are fitted with surveillance cameras that are routinely inspected, she said, adding that the Mexican Consulate has access to the footage.
Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an organization that seeks to improve border security and stop illegal immigration, said the report is an unfounded an advocacy piece written by people who oppose any sort of enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
“Abuse is not justified, but there’s no evidence that abuse is being committed here,” Mehlman said. “If there was abuse going on in that magnitude, it wouldn’t have taken some advocacy group to discover this.”
Aguirre and Sinclair said NoMoreDeaths.org is advocating for an independent oversight committee to hold the Border Patrol accountable.
“We need a system of consequences for violations,” Sinclair said.
Elvina Nawaguna-Clemente is a reporter for Cronkite News Service
Jesus Christo de Nogales posted at 9:42 am on Fri, Oct 12, 2012.
Tell Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that his country must stop exporting drugs and illegal Mexican occupiers of the United States and re claim its illegal Mexican occupiers now in the US. This is such an embarrassing situation for Mexico. La Raza, The Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights, National Immigrant Solidarity Network/AFGJ and Casa Aztlánwill help Nieto in stopping this illegal occupation of the United States and create a working birth control program in Mexico. They can’t afford to have so many children and the situation will only get worse. Are you with us?
Jesus Christo de Nogales posted at 10:51 am on Fri, Jun 29, 2012.
If the Southwest of the United States had the same standard of living as northern Mexico would there still be an invasion of the Southwest by illegal Mexican Occupiers? Do you honestly beleive they are coming because "they were the original settlers"?
How funny and naive you are.
azblacklab99 posted at 7:59 am on Tue, Feb 21, 2012.
Continue to enforce our immigration laws and continue to imprison these lawbreakers before they are deported. Continue to search out and arrest all the illegal drivers, illegal ID theft criminals. The 12 million illegals in our country need to be nervous and scared because we are NOT granting amnesty.
AZ_Resident posted at 11:22 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Instead of a border fence, put mines along the border, with plenty of warning signs - problem solved.
RationalHuman posted at 10:56 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
"Aguirre and Sinclair said NoMoreDeaths.org is advocating for an independent oversight committee to hold the Border Patrol accountable."
How about an oversight committee to hold the people who illegally sneak into our country accountable? Why are the criminals getting a free pass here?
RationalHuman posted at 10:51 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
"cramming ... into cells, subjecting them to extreme temperatures, depriving them of sleep, threatening them with death and beating women and children."
Funny, this is typical of law enforcement's treatment of American citizens - perhaps not on a daily basis, but youtube has a plethora of current abuses on video.
So why does it suddenly become a huge issue when the same treatment is afforded to individuals who have violated several laws just by sneaking into (invading) our country?
Or is this just another pro-illegal op-ed piece?
(that last question was rhetorical)
Leon Ceniceros posted at 8:58 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Let's look at this article a little closer, Folks...get some perspective.
We have an ASU-Cronkite School of Journalism quoting and ASU "Statistical Consultant and Research Associate"....hmmmmmmm....kinda raises some "red flags" (and I do mean "Red")...wouldn't you say.
The ASU-Cronkite School of Journalism ends the article....quote "We need a system of consequences for violations"...which predisposes the reader to assume...that there were ...."violations" to begin with.
Now far be for old "John C. Fremont's, 1961 "The Pathfinder" High School Newspaper's, jr. editor (me), to criticize a Cronkite School of Journalism reporter but would'nt it have be more "journalistically honest" to leave the reader to determine the veracity of these claims ???
It's possibly ...OK....to "nudge" the reader but ..."holding his/her head in a hammer-lock and force-feeding the "news" ...is a whole other animal.
Hellraiser posted at 6:41 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Oh sure, I believe the illegals. BS!!! Just another way for the bleeding hearts to try and get them to be able to stay here. How many millions do we spend trying to keep them out and then sending them back. Don't come if you don't like the treatment! We don't owe you anything!!!!
beefrits posted at 6:18 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Is there another country on earth that allows access to jail videotapes to the country that produces the criminals?
This story sounds like the typical smokescreen of those who are on the wrong side of the issue.
Smokey posted at 5:50 am on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Well, I have a couple of questions. What rights? Who grants these rights?