CBP Whitewashes Criminal Behavior of its Agents

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this month finally released the long-awaited report on the mistreatment of Haitian migrants at Del Rio last fall, but the demand for justice is nowhere near over. While the report said border agents used “unnecessary” force and derogatory language against migrants, investigators claimed they found “no evidence” that agents “struck, intentionally or otherwise, any migrant with their reins.” 

Even more astoundingly, they neglected to interview one, single Haitian migrant as part of the 500-page document. During a press call this week, leaders and experts slammed what immigrant rights advocacy group America’s Voice called a “whitewashed” report. “The actual people that endured this abuse have not been interviewed,” said UndocuBlack Network Executive Director Patrice Lawrence. “Instead, these individuals, in mass, were deported.”

“The self-serving investigation from CBP illustrates white supremacy, centuries of exploitation, and multiple failures of the U.S. immigration system,” said Guerline Jozef, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. She noted that numerous witnesses were made available to be interviewed, including Mirard Joseph, the migrant from the infamous photograph. “The agency chose not to interview any Haitians who witnessed abuse from CBP officers,” she continued. “This investigation was not about truth or justice.”

“The report was woefully inadequate, failed to interview any Haitian witnesses, and has so far failed to yield any concrete changes to policy or practices,” America’s Voice said. “The incident is the subject of continued litigation, which hopefully will bring accountability and justice to the matter.” While CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus admitted in a statement that there “were failures to make good decisions at multiple levels of the organization,” and that agents “engaged in unprofessional or dangerous behavior,” just four agents were referred for possible discipline at the time of the report’s publishing. Possible is the key word here, because abusive agents have been referred for discipline in the past, only to have their punishment reduced by the department.