Reports of Abuse by U.S. Border Patrol Agents Evidence Systematic Violations of International Human Rights

 Hundreds of official complaints filed with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) and reported to watchdog groups by migrants attempting to cross the U.S. – Mexico border provide evidence of widespread abuses by Border Patrol agents.  Despite numerous accounts of acts that amount to human rights violations, a sluggish and lenient internal affairs office at CPB has resulted in a lack of accountability that contributes to the abusive conduct.  The U.S. Border Patrol’s staunch denial of the pervasiveness of this conduct, coupled with its refusal to adopt recommended policies, have impeded efforts of reform.