The ACLU has filed complaints from 10 people who say they were wrongfully detained by BP agents and held in frigid, dirty and overcrowded cells before being released without charges. They also say that the agency routinely seized vehicles and belongings, and required them to sign "hold harmless" agreements to get their property back.
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After reviewing more than a year's worth of Tucson police records, the ACLU said that officers were prolonging traffic stops to investigate drivers' immigration status by holding them until Border Patrol agents arrive, violating the civil rights of immigrants and the department's own policies.... Read more»1
Even as the use of force by Border Patrol agents and customs officers falls under increasing scrutiny, the number of use-of-force incidents, and the number of assaults against agents have decreased since 2011.
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A federal judge lambasted the agency for its handling of evidence, including destroying digital video that a coalition of immigration rights groups said shows that the agency regularly breaks its own policies regarding the treatment of immigrants held in Southern Arizona BP stations.
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In a scathing report released Thursday, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said it found evidence that immigration officials were interfering with the constitutional rights of families in detention, and called on Homeland Security to immediately release them. It cited conditions that are "useless, punitive and not necessary."... Read more»
During a six-month period in 2013, people detained by the Border Patrol near Tucson were regularly held more than 24 hours in temporary facilities, breaking the agency's own policies and subjecting immigrants to freezing, overcrowded cells without access to food, water, medical care and legal council, according to a new federal class-action lawsuit.
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While the circumstances surrounding the 2012 cross-border shooting of a Nogales teen are "horrible and tragic," an attorney for Border Patrol Agent Lonnie Swartz said in federal court Tuesday that a judge must dismiss a lawsuit by the family of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez.
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Citing problems with the use of "roving patrols" by the Border Patrol and repeated trespassing on private property, the ACLU has filed a formal complaint against the agency on behalf of a Southern Arizona woman.
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed a lawsuit against the federal government Wednesday for failing to produce records relating to allegations that migrant children were abused and mistreatment while held by Customs and Border Protection. The lawsuit stems from a complaint filed in June 2014 that 116 unaccompanied children reported abuse and neglect while in Border Patrol custody last year. ... Read more»
The family of Jose Antonio Elena Rodiguez, the Mexican teen killed in Nogales Sonora, by U.S. Border Patrol agents when they fired through the fence into Mexico in 2012, filed a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday. "I'm asking the people who killed my grandson to have the courage to show their faces," the 16-year-old's grandmother said.... Read more»
The ACLU has filed a second claim against the Tucson Police Department over enforcement of SB 1070. At issue is whether police officers had a reasonable suspicion to call for an immigration check on Jesus Reyes Sepulveda during a traffic stop in January 2014.... Read more»
Five immigrant rights groups have submitted a legal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security detailing abuse of children held in Border Patrol custody in the last year. Citing the use of stress positions, the denial of food and water, as well as physical, mental and sexual abuse, and a lack of medical care, the complaint focused on 113 cases of unaccompanied minors.... Read more»
Seeking data on interior enforcement by the U.S. Border Patrol, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit demanding the release of hundreds of documents, including complaints, agency policies, and the accuracy of drug-sniffing dogs. ... Read more»
The ACLU has sent a letter to the Border Patrol demanding that agents halt what the group alleges is interference and harassment of monitors and protestors at the checkpoint on Arivaca Road.... Read more»
The City Council unanimously approved limits on the ability of Tucson police to question the immigration status of those they encounter, while also creating new reporting requirements for the department during a special study session on Wednesday. ... Read more»2
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