Rejecting Violence, Oppression, and Murder by US Border Patrol
On May 23, US border patrol agents shot and killed an unarmed migrant. We say her name in solidarity, Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez. at WMM we whole heartedly reject the oppression and violence that the border patrol engages in. We reject the words and racism that our administration has used to divide and we reject the notion of borders. We will continue to fight for the lives of all migrants and we will not forget Claudia and we certainly will not forget the actions of the violent US Border Patrol and ICE officials who continue to destroy lives by engaging in this kind of ruthless behavior. No human being is illegal, no human being is an animal, and all human beings deserve peace and security. Stand with us as we stand with Claudia and all migrants who have lost their lives on their way to freedom.
This is not the first time border patrol agents have murdered unarmed migrants. On June 7th, 2010 border patrol agents shot and killed Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca and 6 years later, the US Supreme Court ruled in his favor; and yet, the United States continues to allow the border patrol to act with impunity. Deterrence through death has become the unofficial motto of the agents working the border along the Sonora desert. Agents routinely destroy water and supplies that are dropped in the desert and seem to relish, particularly, in emptying life-saving water supplies. Border patrol has also illegally been arresting and detaining individuals who present themselves at the border seeking asylum, and most recently have now been found to be abusing children in their care, while also losing approximately 1500 children placed with sponsors. Evidence has shown that some of these children are being handed over to child/human traffickers.
On June 7th, 2010 border patrol agents shot and killed Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca and 6 years later, the US Supreme Court ruled in his favor.
You can educate yourself on the oppressive and racist actions of US Border Patrol by visiting these links:
ACLU: Immigrants Rights and Border Patrol Abuses
The Florence Project
No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes
You can also read accounts of border crossings in the book “The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands” by Margaret Regan.
We cannot allow this kind of genocide to continue unabashed in the United States. We must continue the fight to ensure the safety, security, and peace for all peoples. We were once a borderless people, and we will be again.
- Janessa Marquette, Board of Directors - Immigrant and Refugee Rights