News

Jul 21, 2023

Abuses at the U.S.

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“Border Patrol has the right to apprehend someone, but in the proper way, not wrongfully. Many people are afraid of the Border Patrol. Thanks be to God—He gave me the strength to endure and overcome what they [Border Patrol] did to me… People do not have to put up with Border Patrol’s abuses. Because it’s difficult, and my case is one example. An example for many people who maybe also have been run over, like me… It is an example that I share with fellow migrants, so that they don’t become demoralized. If the Border Patrol hits you, demand your rights, because we all have rights.”

— “Marco Antonio,” who filed a complaint after Border Patrol hit him and ran over his leg on a four-wheeler

A U.S.-Mexico border that is well governed and that also treats migrants and asylum seekers humanely can go hand in hand and should not be seen as an unattainable aspiration. For this to happen, U.S. government personnel who abuse human rights or violate professional standards, must be held to account within a reasonable amount of time and victims must receive justice.

Right now, at the U.S.-Mexico border, this rarely happens.

This agenda of recommended reforms is ambitious, and many sectors have roles to play: DHS officials, legislators, NGOs, journalists, philanthropists, and—first and foremost—agents and officers themselves. But as the many examples of injustice documented here make clear, there is no choice: this is a matter of democratic rule of law, both at the border and beyond it.

This report was made possible, and tremendously improved, by editing, design, research, communications, and content contributions from Kathy Gille, Joanna Williams, Ana Lucía Verduzco, Zaida Márquez, Sergio Ortiz Borbolla, Milli Legrain, and Felipe Puerta Cuartas. We could not do this work without the generosity of our supporters; please become one of them.