A video shows U.S. Border Patrol agents attempting to force an injured and mentally unstable man to cross into Mexico because they said he “looks” Mexican.
According to NBC News, several Border Patrol agents are caught on camera falsely claiming that the detained man was not in their custody, failing to identify the man and saying that he must be an undocumented Mexican immigrant due to his appearance, the network reported.
Apparently, the Border Patrol agents then left the man, who was described by witnesses as in mental distress, in a park on the U.S. side of the border and lost track of him for nearly a month. Later, Border Patrol agents finally found him again and he was taken to the Mexican consulate, where it was determined that he is a Mexican citizen who had 16 previous attempts to cross the border.
However, an agreement between the U.S. government and Mexico clearly states that any Mexican citizens suspected of crossing the border illegally must be processed at a Mexican consulate.
Also, other undocumented immigrants who are not Mexican and cross the border in this region as well by law must be deported to their home countries, not Mexico.
A Border Patrol official said in a statement to NBC News that the conduct displayed by agents in the video was not “consistent” with the agency’s values.
“In the video, our actions were not consistent with our normal procedures. Corrective action was taken to ensure all our agents understand their responsibilities of adhering to established processes, practices, and policies,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim told NBC.
Meanwhile, immigrant-rights advocates and groups stated that the incident is only the latest sign of the “denigration” of civil rights at America’s southern border with Mexico.
“Attorneys have seen for years the denigration of legal protections for immigrants at the border when CBP fails to follow proper procedure, including turning away asylum seekers at the border and denying them the opportunity to seek protection and summarily deporting people without due process in clear violation of U.S. and international law,” American Immigration Lawyers Association director Greg Chen told NBC.
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