A report issued by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), two Latin American-focused NGOs, highlighted continued human rights abuses by US border agents along the US-Mexico border.
The report cited high incidences of deaths, abuse, denial of food, and family separations in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
The report shows that CBP, the federal government’s largest civilian law enforcement agency, has a longstanding problem of human rights abuses without adequate accountability. Formal complaints filed with CBP show minimal resolution, with only 5% leading to policy recommendations or disciplinary actions against the agents involved.
“We documented an alarming pattern, including cases of abuse of deadly force, intimidation, sexual harassment, and forged documents,” said Adam Isaacson, co-author of the report. The lack of accountability within the agency has created a culture that enables human rights abuses, and abuses are a recurring problem.
In one case reported, a Salvadoran woman and her family were seeking political asylum. Despite turning themselves into Border Patrol agents, they were met with abusive language and threats, with one agent pointing a gun at the mother and calling her a “terrorist” and a “criminal.”
The report also highlights the substandard conditions in which immigrants are held at CBP facilities, with some staying longer than the prescribed 72 hours. Although family separation is less common now than under the previous administration, it still occurs, with 145 immigrant children separated from their parents during fiscal year 2022.
NGOs have proposed more than 40 recommendations to address the problem, including reforming the complaint process, ensuring thorough investigations, and punishing agents involved in abuses. They believe that by implementing common sense reforms, brutality can be curbed and border management can be aligned with democratic values.
The report’s revelations have fueled debate over the agency’s conduct, with some lawmakers considering the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversees the Border Patrol. However, despite these concerns, recent statistics from the department indicate a decline in the number of border crossings.
The report’s authors emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive reforms within CBP to uphold human rights and treat migrants fairly and respectfully at the U.S.-Mexico border, even amid polarized national debates over border and immigration policies.
