Border Patrol officers' routine abuse of undocumented immigrants has been called criminal. The result of their ongoing victimization has led to the death, hospitalization and injury of a number of migrants who lined the border, attempting to cross in order to gain access to a better life. Migrants are subject to physical abuse, verbal harassment and mistreatment; which is very deliberate and usually occurs when migrants are apprehended by border patrol officers.

Policies are absent regarding the aggressive interactions between officials and migrants. The government excuses these acts, calling them sporadic incidents in a system that apparently works well. The abuses that migrants suffer at the southern gates of this country are felt at different levels by migrants. Three percent of migrants are sexually abused; 4 percent suffer the destruction of personal items; 4 percent have "bad conditions in processing"; 6 percent sustain lasting injuries; 7 percent of migrants were attacked with weapons; 30 percent of migrants were struck with a physical blow; and 70 percent were subject to non-blow physical force.

Sergio Adrian Hernandez-Guereca was 15-years-old when he was shot down by U.S. Border Patrol agent Jesus Mesa Jr. in 2010. The boy was shot after throwing rocks at border patrol officers, which is apparently regarded as assault with a lethal weapon, so Mesa's actions were said to be "appropriate." Patrol Chief Mike Fisher decidedly believes that those types of actions are justified in the field, viewing the environment as a "concrete jungle."

"We shouldn't have carve-outs in our policy and say, except for this, except for that," Fisher said. "Just to say that you shouldn't shoot at rock-throwers or vehicles for us, in our environment, was very problematic and could potentially put Border Patrol agents in danger."

Border Patrol agents have been identified as the main perpetrators of physical abuse and verbal attacks. Also, when agents detain Mexican migrants, officers confiscate personal possessions, chiefly their Mexican identification -- and don't return it; a deliberate act to endanger deported migrants.

"Finally, 70 percent of all MBCS respondents reported that they were traveling with Mexican identifying documents. Among those, 26 percent indicate that they had those documents taken and not returned prior to deportation. This is by far the most important item one can lose while in U.S. custody. Widespread extortion and harassment by Mexican officials has been linked to lack of identification. One cannot receive a wire transfer, get a job, board an airplane, or access certain state services without official documents.

Among the 34 percent of those reporting having possessions taken and not returned, 31 percent specifically mention clothes or luggage, which causes problems for people deported during the winter, when some regions of the border experience frequent temperatures below freezing. Among those who have belongings taken and not returned, 21 percent of deportees report losing a cell phone, which is often the only way to communicate with friends or family. One in five also notes that they have money taken and not returned, with an average of $55 per person." -- Migrant Border Crossing Study

Beyond policing and patrolling, officers should not assume responsibilities beyond that. And they certainly should not take it upon themselves to demonstrate vigilante acts, or violate migrant's human rights.

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