Thread by @KrishVignarajah

THREAD: Since we're in the middle of a national dialogue on the pervasiveness of racism in U.S. police departments, let's talk about how immigration enforcement (ICE + Border Patrol) have also militarized xenophobia to oppress minority communities of color.

Take the 2012 murder of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, a 16-year-old boy shot 10 times in the back across the border by a Border Patrol agent in the U.S. In criminal proceedings, a jury cleared the agent of all charges.

via @RafaelCarranza

usatoday.com/story/news/nat…

A civil suit following a similar cross-border killing of 15-yr-old Sergio Hernandez Guereca also failed to hold his killer accountable; SCOTUS ruled 5-4 in tossing out litigation against the Texas border agent who ended the boy’s life.

by @BorundaDaniel

elpasotimes.com/story/news/cri…

These killings are not limited to shootings of defenseless teenagers. At least 97 people (citizens and non-citizens) have been killed by BP agents between 2003 and 2018: pedestrians run over, deaths from pepper-spray and tasers, victims shot in the back.

theguardian.com/us-news/2018/m…

Our nation will not soon forget the tragic and unacceptable in-custody deaths of at least seven migrant children last year – much like many domestic cases, no agent has suffered any legal repercussions for this gross negligence.

via @JessLivMo

buzzfeednews.com/article/jessmo…

Little needs to be said about ICE, whose reputation for trampling the civil rights of Black and Brown communities has earned it the status of America’s least popular government agency, according to polling by Pew Research Center.

people-press.org/2019/10/01/pub…

ICE's warrant-less arrests, widespread detention abuses, and scores of in-custody deaths since its creation – at least 14 made public this fiscal year – have rightly drawn the ire of Americans across the political spectrum.

via @AILANational

aila.org/infonet/deaths…

What should concern us all is the creeping militarization – and jurisdiction – of these immigration agencies. The Border Patrol’s mandate includes 100 miles within U.S borders, an area where 66% of Americans and 75% of Latinos live.

via @Tanvim
citylab.com/equity/2018/05…

This expanded jurisdiction dates back to 1953, at a time when the agency boasted just 1,100 agents – a far cry from its 20,000 agents today, thanks in large part to a 750% increase in spending under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

cbp.gov/sites/default/…

Within "border zones", constitutional rights need not apply. BP agents can racially profile, set up checkpoints at will, ask for papers in buses (these tactics are far more successful at detecting marijuana than unauthorized immigrants.)

via @Tanvim 👇
citylab.com/equity/2018/05…

The BP also made headlines last year when a private Facebook group of thousands of current and former agents leaked, exposing a xenophobic culture fraught with glorification of violence and anti-immigrant slurs.

via @ACInvestigates

propublica.org/article/secret…

These same agencies were called upon to quell peaceful protesters, many of whom are people of color, in DC. These agents, untrained for this mission and demonstrably ill-suited to humane policing – are simply not prepared to protect the 1st Amend rights of people of color.

While authorities claim that no immigration enforcement will take place, at-risk protestors remain justifiably skeptical – a U.S. veteran of Puerto Rican descent protesting in New York City was detained by ICE.

via @Nicolemarie_A

nbcnews.com/news/latino/fe…

Local authorities routinely engage in the arrest and detention of immigrants through the under-discussed 287(g) program, putting immigrants (whether they are protesting or not) at risk -- even when BP/ICE isn't present.

via @FelipeDLH

theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

Local police and immigration enforcement agents may wear different uniforms, but they share the same systems of oppression that subjugate minority communities and grant their ranks impunity from justice when it is so desperately needed.

As lawmakers prepare to draft and vote on sweeping police reform bills in the weeks to come, and as immigration enforcement are deployed to quell protesters, it is critical that immigration enforcement agencies be held accountable as well.

nbcnews.com/politics/congr…