Urban Unrest

19 January 2007 | Politics | Ernesto Aguilar

Tucson, Az. – Led by the Coalición de Derechos Humanos, members of the Tucson and surrounding border regional community are calling for an independent investigation in the shooting and killing of a man on Friday, January 12, 2007 by an agent of the U. S. Border Patrol. Although specific details have not been released, the practice of using deadly force has escalated since the implementation of policies to militarize the U.S.-Mexico border without oversight or accountability to the impacted communities, creating a climate of fear and division for those who live and work along the border.

Community members contend that while law enforcement agencies across the country are at least monitored and must answer to their local communities, the Border Patrol has consistently ignored the repeated demands for accountability, acting with a total lack of oversight and impunity. The increasing number of deaths of migrants, due to policies that deliberately push migrants to cross through the most dangerous and isolated desert and mountain areas, high speed chases and gunshot wounds speak to the violence and abuse of authority that has continued to heighten along the border. Repeated recommendations by the Arizona Advisory Committee to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, Derechos Humanos, community groups, and others to create an independent entity with powers to investigate allegations of abuse have been ignored, leaving communities to grapple with the question of who is accountable.

“We must demand that this killing be impartially investigated. Our lack of confidence in Cochise County authorities, as well as the FBI, is justified given the cover ups of so many shootings and other cases of abuse,” says Isabel Garcia of Derechos Humanos. “Investigations of previous allegations of abuse reveal the conflict of interest between these police and prosecuting agencies. Even the statements to the press by the Border Patrol spokesperson in this case, that the agent ‘feared for his life,’ without any facts, demonstrate that there is no will nor intention to impartially investigate this shooting. Rather than create any real security on our borderlands, these policies and practices have continued to endanger the lives of border residents and crossers for over 12 years,” she continued.

Derechos Humanos calls on all people of conscience to contact U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, in whose district this incident occurred, to demand an immediate independent investigation into this most recent deadly incident, and to recognize that the continued linking of immigration policies to “security” will continue to result in this violence and lack of accountability. We call on our policymankers to recognize that the linking of immigration policies to “security” will continue to result in this violence and lack of accountability, and fail to address the root causes of migration.

Please call or write today!

Demand:

1. An immediate independent investigation into the shooting
2. Call on the House Immigration Subcommittee to hold hearings at the border
3. Call for creation of an independent oversight commission

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords:

Phone:(520) 881-3588 Fax: (520) 322-9490
1661 North Swan, Suite 112 Tucson , AZ 85712

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!