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Knee injury sustained from a fall while being chased by Border Patrol, subsequently denied medical care. This man was deported having only received newspapers to bandage what agents called “just a scratch” to mock him, laughing.
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At the end of September No More Deaths released Culture of Cruelty, a report that painstakingly details abuses of migrants by the U.S. Border Patrol. After interviewing 13,000 people and documenting 30,000 incidents of abuse, we hoped that people of conscience would take a stand. Thousands of you signed a petition to President Obama, urging him to intervene against systemic abuse perpetrated by the nation’s largest federal enforcement agency. You also wrote letters to the editor to your local papers and made phone calls to Border Patrol.
As a result of your advocacy, No More Deaths got the chance to speak directly with the Administration yesterday. Our delegation met with White House advisors to show them the extent of the abuse, and the Border Patrol leadership’s alarming inability to control their agents. We shared our stories, and we gave the White House a simple message: You can end this now.
And we’re not stopping there. Today we are on Capitol Hill, educating Congress about the disturbing daily reality along the border. We will be calling for independent oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and an end to the increases in border and immigration enforcement that tear our families apart. Before we return to Arizona we’ll meet with international human rights organizations, national immigrant and border advocates, and key partners in the fight for justice and dignity for all.
In just a few hours we will meet with Customs and Border Protection. They’re hoping this will all go away. You helped ensure that the human rights abuses outlined in our report won’t be forgotten.
As exciting as all this is, the hard truth is that nothing has changed—yet. Now that we have the attention of the White House and Border Patrol, it’s crucial for you to weigh in again and let the Administration know that meetings aren’t enough—it’s time for direct, decisive action.
Please call the White House today and help us deliver three key messages:
- Thank you for meeting with No More Deaths and immigrant rights groups and sending a message that you are concerned about Border Patrol abuse.
- Please urge the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the widespread abuse being perpetrated by Border Patrol.
- The Department of Homeland Security cannot monitor itself. Please establish an independent oversight mechanism outside of DHS to hold Border Patrol agents accountable.
Call the White House comment line today:
Voice: 202-456-1111
TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213
Border Patrol abuses reach far beyond Arizona and affect us all. When we allow anyone to be mistreated, we send the message that discrimination and cruelty are acceptable. We know that they are a key part of the border-militarization strategy that has ripped families apart for too long, and we’ll continue to work to end it completely. Thank you for being a part of this movement for justice.
Until the culture of cruelty ends,
No More Deaths
Visit cultureofcruelty.org to order the report, support our work, and sign the petition!
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