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Report Alleges Racial Profiling and Abuse By Border Law Enforcement
The American Civil Liberties Union released a collection of testimonials Thursday alleging racial profiling and questionable behavior by border law enforcement in west Texas and southern New Mexico.
Photo by Mónica Ortiz Uribe
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico released a report that focused on claims of racial profiling and abuse at U.S. ports of entry and interior checkpoints staffed by Border Patrol.
The ACLU recorded 56 testimonials from residents who regularly cross the U.S./Mexico border or travel through interior checkpoints. Many feel singled out for secondary searches or lengthy questioning because of their physical appearance. Others recount instances of inhuman detention and property damage during vehicle inspections. A number of emergency responders reported that Border Patrol delayed ambulances transporting patients to the hospital.
Millions of vehicles travel across the border and through checkpoints each year.
Those who want to file a complaint about their experience can contact the Office of Inspector General or directly to the Department of Homeland Security. Congressmen Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Beto O'Rourke of Texas cosponsored a bill last year that would streamline the process of reporting abuse by border law enforcement. The bill, H.R. 4303, remained in a House subcommittee this year.
A Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso said his office can't verify the claims in the ACLU report, many of which are attributed by first name only or pseudonym. He said their rules of conduct prohibit racial profiling.
In 2013, the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), a nonprofit based in El Paso, issued a report that showed more favorable conduct by Border Patrol. After more than a decade of community engagement with the agency and area residents, the BNHR recieved no complaints against the Border Patrol during its last annual evaluation.