Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, marked the two year anniversary that 42-year old Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was beaten and Tasered by Border Patrol and other federal agents at the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry in 2010. The severe beating, qualified as torture by his family’s attorney, led to his untimely death three days later. While his family marked the two-year anniversary with a solemn gathering at a local church, where friends and family members remembered Anastasio as a hardworking father of five, they have been tirelessly working to bring justice to the case.
A recent PBS program released never-before-seen footage of the two-year old incident; showing how up to 15 federal agents kicked, punched, Tasered, and removed Anastasio’s clothing while handcuffed. Anastasio’s family – his widow, parents, and brothers- have been organizing candle-lit vigils and press conferences. Maria, Anastasio’s widow, traveled to Los Angeles to meet with José Gutierrez, a victim of border brutality that left him in a state of coma for over three weeks. On Mexican Mothers’ Day, Anastasio’s mother and younger brother, Doña Luz and Bernardo, led a delegation to Washington DC with the Southern Border Communities Coalition and Presente.org to meet with congressional representatives and other officials. They delivered over 33,000 petition signatures to the Department of Justice calling for justice. With unprecedented speed they convinced fifteen members of Congress and a Senator to issue a scathing letter to the Department of Justice seeking answers. In addition to the call for a full and thorough investigation, the lawmakers questioned the pattern of Border Patrol violence that in recent years have left seven other border residents dead, suggesting systemic problems with the agency’s policies.
Federal enforcement programs that promote collaboration with local authorities continue to harm the lives of working families. Anastasio was originally turned over to ICE through a formal agreement with San Diego jails. Recently another father of five from Vista, California, 39-year old Idelfonso Martínez was turned over to Border Patrol agents by a San Diego Sheriff’s deputy. Idelfonso went out to buy milk for his children, and was questioned by a Sheriff’s deputy after asked to provide identification. He was deported, and in his attempt to return to San Diego, died in the unforgiving Arizona desert.
Advocates are working closely with family members and victims of border brutality to highlight the human rights abuses that occur daily in border communities, and to bring about systemic changes so that the abuses do not continue. For updates and more information, please visit: soboco.org.
