{"id":17354,"date":"2025-06-26T21:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T21:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/17354\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T21:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T21:47:09","slug":"its-high-time-to-end-unfettered-ice-and-border-patrol-abuses-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/17354\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s high time to end unfettered ICE and border patrol abuses \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a video<\/a> going around social media of a man named Narciso Barranco being beaten while pinned on the ground by Border Patrol agents in Orange County. The 48-year-old father of three Marines was working a landscaping job when he was approached \u2013 before officers subdued Barranco and punched him multiple times in the back of the head, footage shows Barranco running while holding a weedwacker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Twitter, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Barranco swung the weedwacker at agents \u2013 of the several angles available of Barranco holding the machine, none show him swinging it or assaulting border agents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps if we had footage of the entire encounter, it would show Barranco being more of a threat to the agents. What the videos do show is that at least four agents directly holding the roughly 5 \u20186\u2019\u2019 Barranco down on the ground wasn\u2019t enough for them to consider him neutralized \u2013 they also had to beat him in the back of the head. That\u2019s \u201cdad strength\u201d for you I suppose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is far from an isolated instance of ICE and border patrol agents treating people inhumanely. In March, ICE jailed green-card holder Fabian Schmidt for two months. Schmidt claims<\/a> he was stripsearched and violently interrogated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ICE abuses in the field and within their detention facilities have been going on for years. According to secret internal DHS reports<\/a> acquired by NPR via a Freedom of Information request, \u201cIn examining more than two dozen facilities across 16 states from 2017 to 2019, these expert inspectors found \u201cnegligent\u201d medical care (including mental health care), \u201cunsafe and filthy\u201d conditions, racist abuse of detainees, inappropriate pepper-spraying of mentally ill detainees and other problems that, in some cases, contributed to detainee deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, the organization Human Rights Watch acquired DHS documents<\/a> revealing numerous documented allegations of sexual assault by agents, the denial of medical attention to detainees, and beatings so severe that one asylum applicant suffered brain swelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deputy assistant, James Wong claimed<\/a> in 2018 that high-ranking officials within CBP are, \u201creluctant to hold agents and others within the agency accountable for their actions, including if they were involved in criminal activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apart from the physical abuse, several stories<\/a> have appeared of ICE and other federal agents arresting and detaining US citizens and simply choosing to ignore their proof of citizenship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All of this demonstrates that DHS, ICE, and Border Patrol have been operating without accountability, free to treat people like animals and violate the rights of illegal immigrants, legal residents, and US citizens as they see fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Department of Homeland Security\u2019s utter lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law now extends to undermining Congress\u2019 oversight powers \u2013 several members of Congress have been denied entry into ICE detention centers. A spokeswoman for DHS indicated that federal officials should give at least a week\u2019s notice to be allowed entry. Federal laws<\/a> clearly state that members of Congress have the authority to inspect these sites without prior notice.<\/p>\n

Our collective disregard for the wellbeing of immigrants has prevented these human rights abuses from taking up too much room in our nation\u2019s conscience and prevented us from addressing the intolerable behavior of immigration enforcement officers. Even if one believes that illegal immigrants should be deported, we can all agree that it must be done humanely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This administration\u2019s dehumanizing language towards immigrants has made it too easy to disregard the suffering that we inflict upon them. Following the rough detention of Alex Padilla, Vice President JD Vance chose to refer to him as \u201cJose.\u201d \u201cJoses,\u201d \u201cPedros,\u201d \u201cMarias\u201d \u2013 that it came from the sitting VP reflects the fact that it\u2019s quite acceptable to disregard and disrespect an entire ethnic group.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is America. We do not have a Gestapo or a KGB. We cannot allow the existence of a government agency that acts like a secret police that can freely beat and arrest whoever they want.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Congress members must perform their duty and exercise their oversight powers over the executive branch. ICE\u2019s new policies requiring that they receive advanced notice of inspections must be immediately challenged to verify that our agencies are acting in accordance with what basic human decency demands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rafael Perez is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. He is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Rochester. You can reach him at rafaelperezocregister@gmail.com.<\/p>\n

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