Annotations for People: Martinez-roberto 1937-2009

There's laws right now that call for the respect of the rights and dignity of the people crossing the border within IRCA, within the law- [background music]

Thank you.

Well, before we address illegal immigration, as a human rights office, we're more concerned right now with the increase in human rights abuses by Border Patrol. These last few weeks, we've been receiving at least three to four cases a day of people coming across the border. [interruption]

Let me say my piece first. [interruption] With their heads split open. Two of them required surgery for internal injuries. We have two shootings right now, one in Calexico and one in MCC Jail right now by Border Patrol. These are all unarmed civilians. This doesn't even begin to address the day-to-day insults and racial remarks that Border Patrol uses on the buses and the trains. And I say this from firsthand experience, I don't say this from third-hand. I interview these people myself. Whether they're undocumented or coming across illegally or not, there still has to be respect for human rights, and then we'll address illegal immigration.

Well, like Muriel wants the border to become secure, we want Border Patrol to adhere to the policies that are already in place. There's laws right now that call for the respect of the rights and dignity of people crossing the border within IRCA, within the law- [interruption]

Well, see. You have to understand, and I know this is difficult, but hunger and poverty does not understand laws.

Well- [interruption]

But to shoot 15-year-old kids for having a rock, in the back or in the stomach or whatever, you know. [interruption]

Nobody condones that.

This was brought out very clearly two weeks ago when they announced the introduction of this bill to create a federal civilian oversight, that there is no system of accountability, no system of complaints.

How many agents have been prosecuted for abusing an undocumented person?

Not one has ever been- [interruption]

In the dozens of shootings that have taken place over the last 10 years, not one agent has been prosecuted for shooting or killing an undocumented or unarmed civilian. In the abuse types, maybe one or two. The last criminal prosecution was of a Border Patrol agent in El Centro earlier this year for raping and beating a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 24 or 25 years in prison.

Oh, I've lost track. I mean, there was 30 or 40- [interruption]

That-[interruption]

I guess as long as people don't understand why people come here and the poverty that brings them here, and never promote the contributions that Mexican immigrants have made to this state, the 4 billion agribusiness that's sustained on millions of seasonal agricultural workers and just targets the negative part of it, I think we're always going to be opposed to it. But also I think my problem too is that the anti-immigrant sentiment is getting so focused on undocumented problems that I think that if we don't begin to realize that immigrants are the ones that built this country instead of focusing on the negative, I think there we're always going to be poles apart. But I think people have to accept their responsibility for the growing anti-immigrant sentiment. And I think until that is addressed, we're going to continue being on different sides of the fence.

Thank you.

We're seeing a lot of cases of people who are beaten so bad that they're nearly killed. Hate crimes that's been on the increase against migrant workers and undocumented throughout the whole county, just roving gangs of whites. Some of them are organized, some not. Also, nearly beating these poor workers to death.