Editorial: Border Patrol needs supervision
It is appalling that the Border Patrol is exempt from the transparency and responsibility requirements that other law enforcement agencies have today
Agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza detienen a inmigrantes cerca de Falfurrias, Texas. Crédito: John Moore | Getty Images
SPANISH VERSION
The Border Patrol has a unique record of impunity among law enforcement agencies. It would seem that simply because they work with undocumented immigrants they feel special; that they are above the rest and that they do not need to be accountable for their actions.
This leads to a culture of cover-up, corruption and abuse of power among their agents; of “personal narcissism,” in the words of the former head of internal affairs, James F. Tomsheck. This ex official, who was removed last year, denounced the Patrol agents’ cases of corruption and violent abuse, and the whitewash of police corps leaders.
It’s not surprising that an internal audit has determined that in 67 incidents where 19 people died, the agents were absolved in 64 cases, with only three pending. An identical result was found by the non-profit Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), which points to a behavior pattern in which the officers shoot and kill, out of frustration, those who throw stones at them. The study also shows that the officers provoke reactions in others, like blocking a car with their body, to justify the shootings.
The study finally concluded that the Border Patrol has failed to hold agents involved in incidents accountable. It has also not investigated enough the circumstances leading to the shootings.
This is the result of exempting the Border Patrol from having to inform the public about shootings, unlike other law enforcement agencies. Also, its internal affairs agents did not have authority to make criminal investigations.
It is appalling that the Border Patrol is exempt from the transparency and responsibility requirements that other law enforcement agencies have today. The migratory status of a victim of negligence and abuse of authority does not make him any different from that of a citizen. Both victims are equally human. There is no reason to treat better a Border Patrol agent than a police officer. Today, the Border Patrol needs more supervision than a police department in order to eradicate a deep-rooted culture of impunity.
