The Mexican Government called for an extensive investigation by U.S authorities into the death of a Mexican citizen. Last Friday while in the custody of Border Patrol agents, Anastasio Hernández Rojas was detained and “tasered” several times. After agents noticed his breathing he was hospitalized. He passed away this Monday in Scripps Chula Vista hospital. According to BBC Mundo he was a father of five and had been living and working in the United States for twenty-five years. His deportation process began after being pulled over for a traffic violation.
According to a police report cited by BBC Mundo, Hernández Rojas was detained and handcuffed by Border Patrol agents and was going to be deported Friday. When agents took off his handcuffs Rojas attempted to run. After agents detained him they beat him and fired a Taser at him several times until he was unconscious. The Border Patrol assured that they were conducting an investigation into the incident, which occurred at the deportation port in San Ysidro, but insisted that the agents acted in self-defense. They added that the Mexican national showed signs of aggression during the deportation process and as a result “one of the officers deployed a taser to subdue the individual and maintain officer safety.”
According to BBC Mundo however, witnesses that were crossing the border at the time of the event told human rights organizations that the officers kept beating Rojas despite the fact that he no longer moved while people on the Mexican side of the border pleaded with agents to stop beating him. The Foreign Affairs Secretary through the Mexican Consulate of San Diego is providing Rojas’s family with legal support.
Sources:
Facundo, Marcia. “México pide a EE.UU. investigar muerte de indocumentado.” BBC Mundo. 1 Junio, 2010.
Univision. “Mexicano muere en incidente con guardias fronterizos en EEUU.” Univision. 1 Junio, 2010.
Brice, Arthur. “Police in California investigate Mexican border detainee’s death.” CNN. June 1, 2010.
