A report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released in the past few days concluded that the United States Border Patrol does not have a procedure that adequately classifies in its system cases of use of force, which makes it impossible to determine the number of complaints and investigations regarding abuses.
According to Univisión, the report also warns that Border Patrol officers do not have sufficient training to use less lethal alternatives to control detainees.
The OIG report is the result of an inquiry presented by Senator Robert Menéndez in 2010. The cause of the inquiry was a video showing Border Patrol agents brutally beating a handcuffed Anastasio Hernández Rojas, a deported immigrant.
The videos recorded on cellphones by witnesses prompted Senator Menéndez to request a report from the Border Patrol, which results have been released to local media in recent days.
According to the report, the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) "has taken various measures to face the use of force and make sure it's only used as necessary." However, the report concludes that "more can be done."
According to La Opinión, the OIG recommended that the CBP establish procedures to better classify complaints of use of force in their records. Likewise, it recommends upgrading training on the use of alternatives that do not result in severe injuries or the death of detainees.
In 2010, the case of immigrant Anastasio Hernández Rojas shocked the American population. The media released videos in which Border Patrol units beat and used a Taser gun against the immigrant, who was handcuffed, said the same newspaper.
Hernández Rojas died in the next days as a consequence of his injuries.
You can read the OIG report here.
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