U.S./Mexico Border Tensions
Rising Again

Human Rights Monitor Assaulted and Arrested by Thirteen U.S. Border Patrol Agents

by
Ernesto Cienfuegos
La Voz de Aztlan

Los Angeles, Alta California - 2/26/2002 - (ACN) Yesterday, at the same time that the Washington Times published an article predicting a border war between the United States and Mexico, thirteen U.S. Border Patrol agents assaulted and arrested an official of La Raza Rights Coalition who was monitoring and videotaping human rights abuses by the Border Patrol taking place on the San Diego Trolley.

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This is a definite escalation of tensions between the two countries since June, 2000 when the vile vigilante Arizona rancher Roger Barnett organized white supremacist groups to go on "hunting" expeditions for Mexican migrant workers crossing the border. At that time many innocent Mexican migrant workers died including two by murder at the hands of white ranchers along the border. One gruesome incident occurred at the Sasabe, Arizona crossing point when two vigilantes on horseback with high power rifles shot and tore half the face of a Mexican migrant worker crossing the border. Another occurred near San Angelo, Texas when another rancher shot a migrant worker asking for water. He held the worker down until he bled to death.

The article yesterday in the Washington Times quoted white supremacist bigot Glenn Spencer, leader of a group called American Patrol, as saying "We have on our hands a Mexican border civil war that could happen tomorrow. I think it's a matter of time." Glenn Spencer teamed up with the vigilante Roger Barnett two years ago in a meeting in Sierra Vista , Arizona where an odd assortment of Mexican hating groups attended including the KKK. One member of the KKK stood up in the meeting and proposed placing "land mines" along the border to deter Mexicans from crossing.

The incident against the human rights monitor occurred yesterday at 5:30 P.M. at the City College Trolley Station in San Diego according to a press release by La Raza Rights Coalition. Benjamín Prado, an official with the human rights organization and others were documenting Border Patrol raids and human rights abuses that have been occurring inside the Red Line Trolleys and at the Trolley Stations when the Border Patrol agents reacted by confiscating the video camera from Mr. Prado. The Border Patrol agents also verbally insulted Mr. Prado and the other human rights monitors. When Mr. Prado objected to the unprofessional treatment by the Border Patrol, the agents then assaulted Mr. Prado and imprisoned him at a federal detention camp according to the press release.

At this writing, La Raza Rights Coalition was having a press conference in San Diego and the Border Patrol Chief Bill Veal was preparing a media statement. The situation along the border had calmed down since June, 2000 but the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks last September have aggravated the volatile relations that exist between Mexicans and Anglos along the border. White racist bigots like Pat Buchanan, Roger Burnett and Glenn Spencer have taken advantage of the New York and Washington D.C. terrorist attacks to instigate hate against Mexican migrant workers that cross the border. La Voz de Aztlan is calling for "cool heads" on both sides and a crackdown on hatemongers like Glenn Spencer, Roger Barnett and Pat Buchanan who want to personally benefit by instigating problems along the U.S/Mexico border. Mr. Buchanan wants to increase sales on his book "Death of the West" and Glenn Spencer wants to peddle more of his video tapes he sells for $19.95. Roger Barnett wants to run for elective office in Cochise County, Arizona. We hope than none of the thirteen Border Patrol agents involved are followers of any of these vile characters.