Thursday, December 8, 2016

"US Border Patrol uses desert as ‘weapon’ to kill thousands of migrants, report says" GROUNDBREAKING NEW REPORT BY NO MORE DEATHS AND COALICION DE DERECHOS HUMANOS IN ARIZONA




The Dec. 7, 2016 press conference in Nogales held by NO MORE DEATHS AND COALICION DE DERECHOS HUMANOS  announcing their new report:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Ux__uVfNA&feature=youtu.be

ningunserhumanoesilegal.jpg
Dear friends of La Coalición de Derechos Humanos,


There is a crisis of death and disappearance happening at the US–Mexico border. Today, Tucson-based groups No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos release part 1 of a three-part report series aimed at bringing this crisis to light. The series,  Disappeared: How Border-Enforcement Agencies Are Fueling a Missing-Persons Crisis, focuses on three different Border Patrol practices that increase the likelihood of someone dying or disappearing while crossing the border. Part 1,  Deadly Apprehension Methods, documents how Border Patrol agents chase groups and individuals causing them to scatter in remote terrain, where these border crossers are more likely to become lost, injured, or to disappear.
We ask you to take action now to end the crisis of death and disappearance.
With Trump’s promise to build a border wall and to deport two to three million immigrants who have built lives in the US, we will inevitably witness more deaths and disappearances in the borderlands.
Today, we ask you to call and fax three congressional Democrats—Congressman Grijalva, Senator Feinstein, and Senator McCaskill—demanding that they do everything in their power to delay and halt Trump’s border wall. More specifically, we are asking these legislators to:

  • Commission a Government Accountability Office report on the cost of Trump’s wall, which would expose its extravagant cost, its ineffectiveness at halting migration, how it would push more migrants towards death and disappearance.
  • Be ready to filibuster when Trump’s wall is up for a vote
Our goal is to get 2,000 calls and faxes to each office!

Send your faxes with one click and use the numbers below to leave a message for each legislator.

  • Congressman Raul Grijalva: (520) 622-6788
  • Senator Dianne Feinstein: (202) 224-3841
  • Senator Claire McCaskill: (202) 224-6154
Sample script: Hi my name is _____________, and I am calling to urge Congressman/Senator __________ to delay the building of a border wall under Trump’s administration. We need you now to stand up for border communities and the rights of migrants by commissioning a GAO report on the cost of Trump’s wall and by making a commitment that you will filibuster any bill that includes Trump’s wall or other border infrastructure that will push migration into deadly corridors.

In solidarity,

​La Coalición de Derechos Humanos

 US Border Patrol uses desert as ‘weapon’ to kill thousands of migrants, report says Arizona advocacy group says agents chase border crossers from Mexico into hostile terrain in a strategy that leaves many injured, dead or los





in Nogales, Sonora  THE GUARDIAN
The US Border Patrol agency has engineered the death and disappearance of tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants by using the desert wilderness as a “weapon”, according to an advocacy group.
Agents chase and scatter border crossers across hostile terrain in a strategy that leaves many people injured, dead or lost, turning the US’s south-western frontier into a “vast graveyard of the missing”, the Arizona-based group No More Deaths said on Wednesday.






“The known disappearance of thousands of people in the remote wilderness of the US–Mexico border zone marks one of the great historical crimes of our day,” the group said in a blistering report, the first of three reports documenting alleged abuses by Border Patrol.
In addition to deadly apprehension methods it accused the federal agency, which deploys about 18,000 agents on the 2,000-mile border with Mexico, of sabotaging humanitarian aid efforts and discriminating against undocumented people in emergency responses.
No More Deaths, a ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, worked with volunteers from another group, La Coalición de Derechos Humanos, on the 34-page report. It drew on a survey of 58 border crossers and 544 cases from the Missing Migrant Crisis Line. Tens of thousands have gone missing since the 1990s, including 1,200 last year, it said.
“If found, the disappeared turn up in detention centers, in morgues or skeletonized on the desert floor; many human remains are never identified. Thousands more are never located. With each passing day, another father, sister, aunt, brother, partner or child goes missing while attempting to cross the Southwest border.”
Border Patrol’s parent organisation, US Customs and Border Protection, issued a statement defending its record.
“CBP values human life, and we collaborate closely with foreign government officials, law enforcement partners, and community organizations to educate potential migrants about the true dangers of crossing the border illegally.”
It said the Tucson sector Border Patrol deploys 36 rescue beacons and more than 230 agents trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), plus 54 Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents.
The agency blamed deaths on smugglers. “Smugglers lie, telling their ‘customers’ their passage will be safe, but in reality, the terrain is treacherous and the conditions are extreme. Many are led to their deaths by smugglers more concerned about making money than they are about the lives of others.”
Donald Trump has promised to wall off the southern border to stop undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs entering the US, raising expectations of an expanded border force and intensified interception efforts after he becomes president next month.
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The National Border Patrol Council, a union which represents agents, has endorsed Trump’s candidacy and advised his transition team. It says about half of border crossers slip through, a “frightening” security gap which leaves the US vulnerable to drug cartels and terrorists.
Border manpower and hardware has increased exponentially since 9/11, transforming what was a chain link fence into a zone bristling with cameras, sensors, drones and rapid response teams.
No More Deaths depicts the border as a gauntlet which often condemns would-be crossers to grim and uncertain fates. It said the policy was rooted in a 1994 Clinton-era Border Patrol strategy called “Prevention Through Deterrence” which sealed off urban entry points and funneled people to wilderness routes risking injury, dehydration, heat stroke, exhaustion and hypothermia.
The Border Patrol estimates at least 6,000 have died since the 1990s. Other estimates are significantly higher. With many bodies never found, precision is impossible.
The report accused agents of hounding people to injury and death, and brutalising those they captured: “Mass death and disappearance are the inevitable outcomes of a border enforcement plan that uses the wilderness as a weapon.”

Of the 58 border crossers who were interviewed, 47 said they had been chased within the past five years, some several times. “We run as if we were blind, as if we had a cloth over our eyes,” said one.
The report cited the case of a 29-year-old Salvadorean who went missing on 27 August 2015 after fleeing a patrol in south Texas. He told his family in a text message he thought his foot was broken. His whereabouts and fate remain unknown.
Pursuit increases the risk of dehydration, heat stroke, exhaustion, injury and drowning, the report said. And more than 40% of chases, according to the survey, resulted in someone becoming lost. A mother told the Missing Migrant Crisis Line in August 2015 that she received a text from her son saying he was lost in Arizona’s Ajo region. “He said ‘migración’ had made his group scatter, and that he was alone, having lost sight of his group when everyone ran.” His fate remains unknown.
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Of the 67 chases, 12 resulted in injury from excessive force during apprehension, according to the survey. The report cited cases of people being punched, kneed, hit with vehicles, intimidated and bitten by dogs. Border Patrol agents have killed 48 people since 2010, half of them during pursuit, it said.
The next two reports will detail allegations that agents have vandalised humanitarian supplies – Samaritans and other groups leave food and water on trails – and discriminate against undocumented people in emergency response.
Minutemen-like militias claim Border Patrol efforts are an Obama administration sham and that the frontier is open, a de facto welcome mat for “criminals” and “aliens”.
“Everybody knows where the checkpoints are. It’s window dressing,” said Harry Hughes, who said he had just returned from the field, monitoring cartel scouts. He doubted Trump would change much. “Congress writes the checks.”
Robert Crooks, another Arizona Minuteman, was more bullish and said Trump was already having an impact. “A lot of the illegals have already started self-deporting because they know a change is coming.”
Would-be crossers at immigrant shelters in Nogales, just inside Mexico, called the border a formidable barrier with treacherous terrain and ubiquitous cameras, sensors, drones and patrols, real or perceived.

To cross they must pay several thousand dollars in fees and “taxes” to criminals, or haul drugs. Being spotted by Border Patrol can mean forfeiting a fortune or going to jail for drug smuggling. Either way, a strong incentive to flee.
The risk of getting lost in the wilderness are set against the certain grimness of being shackled and herded back into Mexico, broke, desperate and, in the case of those in Nogales, cold.
Some deportees sleep in a cemetery, huddling under blankets, branches and cardboard to survive sub-zero temperatures.
“My mother prays for me,” said Betancourt, a Honduran. Deported last March after a decade in the US, he had spent two months and several hundred dollars traversing 2,500 miles from Honduras up to Nogales. Now the US was a two-minute walk away. From some tombstones you could see the 18ft steel border fence.
Betancourt declined to reveal his full name, or how he intended to cross. But if spotted by Border Patrol he had a plan: “Run.”

ANOTHER ARTICLE BY THE TUCSON SENTINEL

Advocates: Border Patrol chases contribute to desert deaths


Enforcement strategy creates 'graveyard of the missing' in Arizona, activists say

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/120716_border_scatter/advocates-border-patrol-chases-contribute-desert-deaths/

NO MORE DEATHS VIDEO ABOUT BORDER PATROL HARASSMENT  AND VANDALISM SHOWING BORDER PATROL AGENTS  DESTROYING WATER LEFT FOR MIGRANTS IN THE DESERT



TO READ THE FULL REPORT CLICK HERE
http://disappearedreport.org/

A PREVIOUS REPORT BY NO MORE DEATHS: "A CULTURE OF CRUELTY: ABUSE AND IMPUNITY IN SHORT-TERM U.S. BORDER PATROL CUSTODY"
 http://forms.nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CultureOfCruelty-full.compressed.pdf

NO MORE DEATHS WEBSITE
 http://nomoredeaths.org/

COALICION DE DERECHOS HUMANOS WEBSITE
http://www.derechoshumanosaz.net/ 

Monday, November 28, 2016

A LOOK BACK AT THE NOV 12 ACTION AT THE CA BORDER: JUSTICE FOR ALL VICTIMS OF BORDER PATROL BRUTALITY: JUSTICIA PARA TODAS LAS VICTIMAS DE LA PATRULLA FRONTERIZA; 12 DE NOV. EN SAN YSIDRO, CA

LOS FAMILIARES DE VICTIMAS INCLUYERON MARIA PUGA, VIUDA DE ANASTASIO HERNANDEZ ROJAS; TRINIDAD CESENA, MADRE DE FRANCISCO CESENA, Y SHENA GUTIERREZ, ESPOSA DE JOSE GUTIERREZ
VIDEO OF THE NOV. 12 MARCH AND PROTEST IN SAN YSIDRO/SAN DIEGO, CA. VIDEO DE LA MARCHA Y PROTESTA EL `12 DE NOV., 2016 PARA JUSTICIA PARA LAS VICTIMAS DE LA PATRULLA FRONTERIZA




PHOTO VIDEO OF THE NOV. 12 ACTION. FOTOS DE LA PROTESTA EN ESTE VIDEO
 PARTICIPANTS ENJOYED A POZOLE SUPPER AFTER THE MARCH AND VIGIL, FOLLOWED BY A HEALING CIRCLE LATER THAT EVENING. TODOS LOS PARTICIPANTES GOZARON DE UNA CENA DE POZOLE Y DESPUES PARTICIPARON EN UNA REUNION DE SANACION







"Just counting back from 2010 to here, there have been 50 murders by the Border Patrol," says Gutierrez. "To date, no one has been held accountable for any of them, despite videos and witnesses in many cases. They need to change their policies on use of force.
"Shooting a child for throwing a rock is unjustifiable. They shot Jose Antonio Elena ten times. He was only 15 years old."
Gutierrez refers to 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was gunned down in a high-profile case in Arizona in 2012. Elena Rodriguez was found to be unarmed and on the Mexican side of the border at the time of the shooting.
Families of several individuals who died at or near the border in San Diego were also on hand.
"Anastasio Henandez Rojas was brutally beaten by 14 agents. They beat him with batons, kicked him, tased him seven times. They fried his brain – he was in the hospital for one or two days, then he died," continues Gutierrez. "There's video of that. But last year they closed the case, and no one was held accountable."
Hernandez was caught attempting to cross the border illegally in 2010. Though previously deported, he had been living in San Diego for about 20 years and his wife and family still resided in the U.S. An autopsy ruled his death a homicide, but no charges were ever filed.
Protesters gathered at Larsen Field Park in San Ysidro before embarking on their march. They called for the use of body cameras by border agents, in addition to other reforms they say the federal government has been resistant to despite years of pleas. Their sense of urgency was elevated, they say, because of the ascension of Donald Trump as the country's president-elect.
"Because of the election, a lot of people are living in fear because of the things Donald Trump has said he's going to do around the border. We're sending the message that we will not live in fear; we will not get used to this."

Monday, November 21, 2016

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE BORDER CONVERGENCE---FROM THE NOGALES, SONORA SIDE OF THE BORDER WALL






VIDEO--CAPTURING THE SPIRIT, SONG, AND SOLIDARITY OF THE BORDER CONVERGENCE

VIDEO--The Puppetistas At Work at the Border Convergence

 Report-Back from School of the Americas Watch, main organizer of the Border Convergence
"In the first day of activities in the Nogales, Sonora side of the border, people came together from all across the Americas. Deported Veterans, the dance group Abya Ayala, migrant aid workers Las Patronas, the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement, Brothers on the Road, Border Patrol Victims Network and frontline communities in resistance demonstrated that the war has not been able to separate all our struggles.


“The border is an open wound that we can only close with everyone’s help. Activities like this remind us that more than a region, we are a people injured but not defeated. We are a wounded but honorable people,” commented Ana Enamorado, member of the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement, who began her struggle after the disappearance of her son, Honduran national Óscar Antonio López Enamorado, in 2010 in Mexico.


The Encuentro continued on Saturday, October 8, with concurrent veteran-led marches on both sides of the border. In Arizona, the march began at the Hotel Americana, and Son del Centro were among the vibrant musicians to kick us off.  Each march led to the US/Mexico border wall, and a group of marchers crossed from the US to Mexico, denouncing borders, racist deportations, and the School of the Americas. Together, on each side of the border wall, we held a rally with many speakers and musicians.

Click here to read the complete report-back from SOA Watch including protests at the Eloy Immigrant Detention Center and I-19 Border Patrol Checkpoint
http://www.soaw.org/border/2016/10/09/reportback/ 

Some of those killed by Border Patrol




Shena Gutierrez of Border Patrol Victims Network

Guadalupe Guereca, who's son Sergio Hernandez Guereca was killed by Border Patrol in Juarez, MX
Las Patronas from Veracruz, MX who feed migrants traveling on La Bestia train



Vets For Peace and Deported Veterans


Tuesday, October 4, 2016

OCT 8 VIGIL FOR JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ DURING THE US/MX BORDER CONVERGENCE IN NOGALES OCT. 7-10

 
Invitation from the family and friends of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez to attend the FIRST CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC FESTIVAL FOR JOSE ANTONIO, who's life was tragically cut short by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. SAT. OCT. 8 IN NOGALES, SONORA, MX.

4 PM--meet at Plaza de las Palomas in Nogales, Sonora near (one block from the border) for a short march to the corner of Internacional Street (that follows the border wall to the west) and Ingenieros Street. The mayor of Nogales, Sonora will speak.
4:45 PM--Inauguration of the installation a painting of José Antonio near the site where he was killed
5 PM--Celebration of a mass led by the bishop of Nogales
 6 PM--Press conference followed by cultural and musical presentations including Yaquis, Apaches, folklore music, rock

Schedule of the Border Convergence in Nogales, Sonora and AZ. For more information on workshops, lodging, etc. and schedule updates click on link
 http://www.soaw.org/border/

Friday, October 7
  • 9:15am Exhibition of Ten Quilts Memorialize Lives Lost by Migrants Crossing the Desert in the Tucson Sector. This event will take place in the Tucson and Catalina Rooms of the University of Arizona’s Student Union (1303 E. University Blvd., Tucson, Arizona)
  • 5pm – 7:30pm – Vigil and rally at the Eloy Immigrant Detention Center, and Opening of the Convergence Weekend, Welcome, and Know Your Rights Information (1705 E Hanna Rd, Eloy , AZ, 85131)++
  • Welcome and Peña Celebration in Nogales, Mexico, 6:00pm-8pm
    at the Art Museum (Av. Adolfo Lopez Mateos No. 120, Nogales 84000, Mexico)
  • 7pm – 11pm – Concert in Tucson, Arizona at Club Congress, a benefit for No More Deaths. For all that are interested, including People of Color Space participants, and those unable to travel past the Border Patrol checkpoint to Nogales (7pm-11pm, Club Congress, 311 E Congress St, Tucson, AZ)++
Saturday, October 8
  • 8:30am – 9:30am Veteran-led march in Nogales (Sonora/Arizona)
    kick off on the U.S. side: Hotel Americana, 639 N Grand Ave, Nogales, AZ 85621
    kick off on the Mexico side: Plaza Ochoa, Nogales, Son., Mexico
  • 9:45am – 11:45am – Rally at the border wall in Nogales, Sonora / Arizona
    with speakers and musicians from across the Americas
    featured speakers will include Michael McPherson of Veterans for Peace; Hector Barajas, the founder of Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana, Mexico; Shena Gutierrez, from the Border Patrol Victims Network, Mexico, human rights activist and Green Party vice presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka; Isabel Garcia from the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, Indigenous Community Defender Nestora Salgado; Maudí Tzy from the Alliance to Break the Silence and End Impunity from Guatemala, SOA Watch Field Organizer Maria Luisa Rosal and Father Roy Bourgeois, SOA Watch founder
    Live music performances by Pablo Peregrina, Emmas Revolution, Colleen Kattau, Olmeca, the Peace Poets, Natalia Serna La Muna, Son Jarocho musicians, and the SOA Watch Musicians Collective
  • TUCSON – 9 AM – 8 PM – People of Color Space & Youth of Color Space Workshops, Break-Out Groups, and Plenary addressing mutual solidarity, racial and gender justice. For more information on the POCS workshops, please click here. If you are planning on attending the 10/8 POC Space in Tucson, please fill out this Registration/RSVP form. (9am-8pm, Dunbar African American Culture Center, 325 W 2nd St. Tucson, AZ 85705)++
  • Workshops at Hotel Americana (639 N Grand Ave, Nogales, AZ 85621) in Nogales, Arizona (United States), 1:15pm-7:50pm
  • Workshops in Nogales, Sonora (Escuela Primaria Abelardo L. Rodriguez, Fenochio 23, Fundó Legal, Nogales, Mexico), 1:15pm-7:50pm
  • Nosh & Reflection: A lunch gathering for Jewish activists and allies
  • 2pm – 3:30pm Encuentro de Hermanas – Congregations of Women Religious and Other Organizations are Invited to join Giving Voice Sisters in Prayerful Solidarity with the Border Convergence October 7-10 and All Catholic Sisters Attending the Border Convergence in Nogales are invited.
  • Anniversary Vigil for José Antonio Elena Rodríguez in Nogales, Sonora: starting with a march at 4 pm from the Plaza de las Palomas in Nogales, Sonora to the site where Jose Antonio was killed and a 5 pm mass with the Nogales Bishop, inauguration of the installation of a painting of Jose Antonio, followed by a cultural/musical event
  • Interfaith Ceremony at the border wall & candlelight vigil, 6:30pm-8:00pm
  • Cross-border concert at the Mexico/U.S. border wall, 8:00pm-10:30pm
    with Charlie King, Colleen Kattau, the Peace Poets, emma’s revolution, Natalia Serna La Muna, Olmeca, Pablo Peregrina, and Son Jarocho
Sunday, October 9
  •  9am – 1:30pm – ¡No Más! No More! & Presentesmusicians, protest, and art at the border wall
    We will commemorate those whose lives were lost as a result of state violence.
    Speakers will include Shannon Rivers, a member of the Akimel O’odham tribe; Padre Prisciliano Peraza, coordinator of CCAMYN in Altar, Sonora; Carlotta of People Helping People from Arivaca; Hector Aristizabal, Colombian human rights activist and torture survivor; Mariela Nájera Romero and Uriel Gamaliel Guzmán, Las Patronas; Marleny Reyes Castillo, Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), Maria Guadalupe Guereca Betancourt and Araceli; Carlos Garcia, Puente; H.I.J.O.S. Mexico; Frier Tomás González Castillo coordinator of La 72, Hogar Refugio para Personas migrantes y refugiadas, en Tenosique, Tabasco; George Paz Martin, peace and justice and climate activist and educator; and there will be musical performances by Francisco Herrera, Natalia Serna La Muna, Gabino Palomares and others
  • TUCSON – Informal gathering/continuation of work from previous day’s POC Space for those that cannot or choose not to travel to Nogales (time & location TBA)++
Monday, October 10

  • 10am Block Party – Indigenous People Day 2016 at the Global Justice Center in Tucson, Arizona (225 E 25th St., Tucson, AZ 85713). Neoglyphix, Barrio Mindz, live art, dancers, and music in Resistance + Respect.++


Letter in AZ Daily Star,  Oct. 3, 2016

Monday, July 11, 2016

BLACK LIVES MATTER VIGIL IN TUCSON, JULY 9, 2016--WHAT WE ALL NEED TO LEARN FROM THE BLM MOVEMENT

An amazing diversity of folks were present among the hundreds who turned out for the Black Lives Matter vigil and healing circle in Tucson, AZ. (Above immigrant rights leader Isabel Garcia addresses the crowd).

If you didn't make it watch the video above produced by BPVN of the vigil---what everyone needs to learn from the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement!


 After the vigil a march was held through downtown Tucson and 4th Ave. bringing the chants of BLACK LIVES MATTER!
HANDS UP! DON'T SHOOT! to the crowds partying at the bars and restaurants.

While the news of the week was dominated by the killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the 5 police officers in Dallas---on July 8 Tucson police killed a mentally ill man, 28 yr-old Abraham Smith, they said was threatening them with a knife. After the killing his brother told the media "We’d like to get him into a mental ward. Not the morgue. A mental ward and now that’s what they’ve done. They shot him." (link to full report below)  

Tucson Police Kill Mentally Ill Man The Day Before the Tucson BLM vigil 

Saturday, June 11, 2016

REMEMBERING TERESA LEAL; a founding member of Border Patrol Victims Network and a fighter for social justice her entire life

A photo of a young Teresa Leal on her desk at the Pimeria Alta Historical Society museum in Nogales, Arizona.
  

This video shows some of Teresa Leal's involvement with the Border Patrol Victims Network since its' founding in 2014 until her death May 1, 2016. Teresa will be sorely missed. 
TERESA LEAL, PRESENTE!



LEAL MADE HER MARK (May 10 letter in Nogales International from BPVN volunteer Richard Boren)
   First thanks to Murphy Woodhouse and the Nogales International for the fine article printed the same day we all found out about Teresa Leal’s passing (“Local historian and activist Teresa Leal found dead at museum,” posted May 3). It helped soften the overwhelming shock we felt upon hearing the news only hours earlier.
   On April 29 Teresa took part in the “Border Seder” which was performed on both sides of the Nogales border wall. She seemed as vibrant as ever.
   Teresa chose to participate on the Mexican side and she sat only inches from the steel barrier. This event that used a beautiful Jewish ceremony to reflect on the suffering caused by the border turned out to be the final collective action of her life. She sat with the family of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was killed by a Border Patrol agent within sight of where we sat. Teresa translated their words into English.
   The impact of Teresa’s life transcended the border that during her life changed from an imaginary line in the sand to resembling the Berlin Wall. Teresa struggled for justice on both sides of the border. She went out as she would have wanted, “en la lucha.” Her passing creates a tremendous void that will be difficult to fill. In Nogales she embodied “the movement.”
   Teresa was also one of the most hospitable and generous people I’ve ever met. Her house was always available, with no notice, to those needing shelter. She collected donations like medical supplies to distribute to the needy. During my visits to the museum people she had helped would drop by to say hello. One man who had gone through hard times called her “mom.”
   The museum of the Pimeria Alta Historical Society is an enormous legacy to her wonderful life. I encourage all to give a donation to help keep it going. Without Teresa’s selfless devotion the museum might have closed its doors long ago. It wasn’t for money that she did it or did anything else for that matter, as she hardly earned any money at all. For her the work at the museum and in the community at large were a labor of love.
Teresa Leal, presente!
Richard Boren
Border Patrol Victims Network,
Tucson
SEND DONATIONS TO:
Pimeria Alta Historical Society and Museum
136 N. Grand Avenue; Nogales, AZ 85621 call: 520-287-4621

A video made the day of Teresa's funeral when families and friends gathered at her magical house to reflect on her wonderful life, put to the music of Silvio Rodriguez's song (Días y Flores)


Sunday, September 14, 2014

THE BORDER PATROL VICTIMS NETWORK (BPVN) IS A NETWORK OF FAMILIES OF VICTIMS, VICTIMS, AND VOLUNTEERS UNITED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE AND TO END IMPUNITY FOR BORDER AGENTS


BPVN BULLETIN BOARD

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CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF BPVN ACTIVITIES
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Feb. 28, 2015: Folksinger Charlie King does benefit concert for BPVN in Tucson, AZ.


photo: Charlie King (with guitar) and concert organizer Ted Warmbrand (with banjo)


Pages from the Concert Program profiling Border Patrol Victims Network.






 FEB. 2015: A bit of justice for one victim who was shot by a Border Patrol Agent and survived. Thanks to a civil lawsuit.
Jesús Castro Romo speaking Oct. 10, 2014 at vigil for Border Patrol Victims in Nogales, Son.

click on article link below to read:

Judge Awards Half Mllion Dollars To Man Shot By Border Patrol Agent 


DEC. 2, 2014-BPVN Volunteer Loses Round In Court (from arrests last May at 48 Hour Vigil/Fast in Nogales) but gets to cross examine agents who arrested him: Appeal Pending

click on link below to read article:
Judge Orders Border Activist To Pay Fine  
The Dec. 2 gathering outside the federal courthouse in Tucson. "Hands Up, Don't shoot!" in solidarity with Ferguson and other anti-police brutality movements.


OCT. 10, 2014--2nd Anniversary of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez. Mass, march, and vigil in Nogales Sonora and AZ.


 Videos showing the day's activities for justice for of Border Patrol victims.  Above "The U.S. Border Patrol: "Honor First?"; or Taking The Law Into Their Own Hands." The video below with Spanish titles.



Guadalupe Guereca, mother of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, in Nogales, Sonora on Oct 10, 2014. Her son Sergio was murdered by a Border Patrol agent in Juárez, Chihuahua, MX on June 7, 2010.
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Sept. 2014  Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds: BPVN uses the editorial page

Re: the Sept. 11 article “Border agent cleared in May killing.”
The decision by the Pima County Attorney’s Office to clear Border Patrol agent Daniel Marquez of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of Jose Arambula is questionable jurisprudence but has its positives.
By concluding that a “jury in a criminal trial would most likely find Agent Marquez’s actions were justified,” a lengthy jury trial is avoided and taxpayer money saved. The whole case seems to be focused on Arambula’s “apparent attempt to use deadly physical force.”
However, Arambula was unarmed and was shot “in the back of the head.” A jury would surely waste valuable time debating this troubling aspect. So case closed based solely on the “unbiased” Border Patrol’s version of events. Who needs those pesky juries anyway?
The Border Patrol has acknowledged the problem of agents using excessive lethal force at times. Unfortunately, the Pima County Attorney’s Office became an enabler of this problem by clearing agent Marquez.
Ana Maria Vasquez


AUG. 6, 2014--SHENA GUTIERREZ AND TWO OTHER BPVN ACTIVISTS FACE CHARGES IN FEDERAL COURT FOR MAY ARREST BY CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AGENTS IN NOGALES, AZ


Rev. John Fife speaking at the press conference outside the federal courthouse

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST TWO BPVN MEMBERS

ACTIVISTS CONTINUE TO DEMAND NAMES OF OFFICERS INVOLVED IN MAY ARRESTS
(click on titles above to link to full story)
Shena Gutierrez and Attorney Vince Rabago speaking to the media.



A highly ironic moment.  Federal 
officer Joe Orozco, the same officer
who arrested the three activists in 
Nogales on May 24, shown here 
ordering the press conference
participants off the grounds of 
the federal courthouse claiming 
it was a "demonstration".





(left) Eduardo Silva speaking to the media. His grandson, Jose Arambula, was slain by the Border Patrol in May, 2014 in Green Valley, AZ.

(right) Photojournalist Will Seberger at the press conference. Sadly he passed away 12 days later. Will was a loyal witness for victims of injustice. He will be sorely missed.                            (All press conference photos courtesy Joel Smith)


Photo: Please support Shena and the Border Patrol Victims Network    Red de Victimas de la Patrulla Fronteriza (BPVN). Let's demand accountability from CBP and Border Patrol agents. Please share this post.

PRESS RELEASE: bit.ly/1ooCZiG 

Shena Gutierrez and two BPVN volunteers will face the federal court on August 6 at 9 a.m. regarding the charges that were filed against them during the 48-hour vigil and fast for victims of CBP violence. Shena suffered verbal and physical abuse during the incident. She will be speaking at the Tucson Samaritans meeting at Southside Presbyterian Church (317 W. 23rd St) on August 5 at 7 p.m. and at a press conference outside of the DeConcini Federal Courthouse (405 W. Congress St) in Tucson, AZ. 

Help us spread the word.


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JULY 29, 2014   PRESS CONFERENCES-
ARACELI RODRIGUEZ AND HER LEGAL TEAM INCLUDING THE ACLU FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE BORDER PATROL AGENT WHO KILLED HER SON, JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ. 

Araceli Rodriguez at the Nogales press conference, announcing the lawsuit. She was unable to speak at the Tucson press conference earlier that day since the US government denied her a visa to travel to Tucson. 
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June 27, 2014--Vigil in Nogales, AZ and Sonora--Justice For Child Migrants from Central America! No Deportation!
Ana Cuen and Teresa Leal leading the exercise in Nogales, AZ "How would I feel if I were a child detained by the Border Patrol?"


     Video--Araceli Rodriguez and Jaime Millan at the vigil for child migrants in Nogales, Sonora. Video also includes news coverage of the event. 
Procession to the Border Wall and site where Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez was killed by Border Patrol
(photos courtesy Bob Torrez)

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May 28, 2014--4 YR. ANNIVERSARY OF MURDER OF ANASTASIO HERNANDEZ ROJAS BY BORDER PATROL AGENTS--EVENTS IN SAN YSIDRO AND SAN DIEGO, CA.--4 YRS. WITHOUT JUSTICE.
Press conference at the San Ysidro, CA border crossing where Anastasio was beaten and tased by Border Patrol agents on May 28, 2010 causing his death.


The family of Anastasio: (l to r) nephew, wife Maria Puga, mother Luz, and brothers (Bernardo far right)





Anastasio's parents






      Video of the day's events--May 28, 2014
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MAY 23-25;  48 HOUR VIGIL-FAST FOR ALL VICTIMS OF THE US BORDER PATROL; NOGALES, AZ AND SONORA
ON MAY 24 SHENA GUTIERREZ, ONE OF BPVN'S FOUNDERS, ARBITRARILY ARRESTED WITH TWO BPVN VOLUNTEERS FOR DEMANDING THE NAME OF CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AGENT WHO ABUSED HER EARLIER THAT DAY.


Aztec Dance Group Mexicayotl who danced the entire weekend
(l to r) Ana Maria Vasquez, BPVN volunteer and Ana Cuen, aunt of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez












sign says "two families here at the vigil lost sons. For another family agents almost killed her husband"




POSTERS SHOWING JOSE GUTIERREZ (LEFT) WHO BARELY SURVIVED HIS BEATING BY BORDER AGENTS AND ANASTASIO HERNANDEZ ROJAS WHO DIDN'T.
Participating Families in the vigil: (l to r) Taide Elena, grandmother of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez (killed 2012); BPVN volunteer Ana Maria Vasquez; Guadalupe Guerrero, mother of Carlos Lamadrid (killed 2011); Shena Gutierrez, wife of surviving victim Jose Gutierrez

VIDEO SHOWING HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ENTIRE WEEKEND. INCLUDING SHENA GUTIERREZ SPEAKING ABOUT HER ABUSE BY CBP AGENTS AS SHE CROSSED THE BORDER--FOOTAGE TAKEN JUST BEFORE HER ARREST WHEN SHE REQUESTED THE NAME OF THE AGENT WHO ABUSED HER.
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MAY 4, 2014-INAUGURAL EVENT FOR BORDER PATROL VICTIMS NETWORK-OPEN HOUSE IN TUCSON, AZ



(Left to Right) Ana Cuen, aunt of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez); Guadalupe Guerrero (with microphone) mother of Carlos Lamadrid. 



Rebeca Cartes and Mary Kierzak performing


Ana Cuen and Taide Elena, José Antonio Elena Rodriguez's grandmother







VIDEO OF THE MAY 4 EVENT WITH NEWS COVERAGE