Border Patrol’s Use Of Force Drops

The decline in the use of force by agents continued a trend disclosed earlier this year after new guidelines on weapons were announced. “This reduction is especially significant considering that assaults against agents and officers have essentially remained steady”, Kerlikowske said in a statement.

Last year, in southeastern Arizona, a military veteran said his children shuddered with fear in the back seat as agents repeatedly asked him if the children were really his.

Wellton Border Patrol agents arrested 16 people and seized 474 pounds of marijuana over the Columbus Day weekend.

A cache of complaints against United States Customs and Border Protection newly released to the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona has an unsurprising implication: America’s border patrol officers act just as recklessly, and with just as little punishment as its cops. The vigil proceeded the arraignment of Border Patrol Agent Lonnie Swartz, indicted last month on suspicion of second-degree murder in the October 2012 shooting of Rodríguez.

“We welcome the fact that they’re tracking use of force data, but it needs to be more meaningful”, Gaubeca told BuzzFeed News.

Residents of border communities have been frustrated by the Border Patrol’s refusal to release more detailed information about agents’ use of force and whether abuse complaints result in disciplinary action.

In raw data terms, agents used force 1,037 times in FY 2014 and 768 times in FY 2015.

“This announcement tells us nothing about changing Border Patrol’s culture from one of escalating situations to justify using excessive force, to one of accountability that emphasizes using words and the minimum force necessary to safely resolve situations and protect human life”, Ramírez said.

The ACLU has requested that border officials report how many times per year agents pointed a firearm, used physical force beyond handcuffing, fired a Taser, struck someone with a baton, or used other types of force.

In July 2013, CBP awarded General Dynamics One Source the contract to upgrade RVSS along the southern USA border.