ACLU Condemns CBP for Firing Projectiles at Migrants

On Monday afternoon, news outlets released a video of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers shooting projectiles at Venezuelan and Honduran migrants along the Rio Grande in El Paso.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction.

“This footage is highly alarming. People seeking asylum on U.S. soil should be screened for protection, not pushed back, especially through use of force.

“This incident is just the latest in a long line of rights violations and abuses carried out by CBP, including the inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas a year ago, where agents also drove migrants back into Mexico instead of allowing them to seek protection as required by U.S. law. The agents and leadership responsible must be investigated and held accountable. CBP’s policies should also be reexamined to ensure that use of force is not an option in these situations.

“Ultimately, the Biden administration must end its failed attempts to scare people out of crossing into the U.S. through tactics that have led to unnecessary death and suffering, and restore a humane process for seeking asylum.”