Top 10 Priority Requests to the Biden-Harris Administration that Protect Border and Immigrant Communities
Communities along the U.S.-Mexico border are home to millions of people and are diverse and vibrant places of encounter, hope and opportunity. But for decades, border communities have borne the brunt of a deeply misguided (often bipartisan) political strategy that unwisely attempts to offset immigration reforms with the so-called need for border “security” that is devastating to the region.
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The Obama-Biden Administration Built More than 100 Miles of Border Wall. The Biden-Harris Administration Should Tear Walls Down.
Border walls came to symbolize Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and were prioritized during his administration. The 400 miles of border wall that he has overseen will inflict ongoing damage upon Native American nations and border towns, fragile ecosystems and endangered species, for as long as they stand.
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‘Border Lens’ Combines Data and Stories About the Southern Border Region
By Gustavo Lopez
From the California coasts to the Gulf shores of Texas, the southern border is home to one of the most dynamic regions in the country. The region is diverse and growing, is home to incredible biodiversity, and acts as an economic engine for the nation. At the same time, our region is a militarized zone where rogue federal agents threaten our rights and quality of life on a daily basis. Stories of migration and divisive walls dominate national headlines about the border region. For this reason, the Southern Border Communities Coalition — a network of organizations spanning the length of the southern border — is launching a new data portal that tells the stories of border communities through real-time data, testimonials, and research.
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Border Patrol Deleted This Tweet Of Heavily Armed Agents Posing at a George Floyd Vigil
San Diego Border Patrol Sector Chief Aaron M. Heitke tweeted a photo on June 1st from his official twitter account. The photo was of Border Patrol in full tactical gear, holding weapons while standing over a community altar from a peaceful vigil in remembrance of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality in San Diego, CA. What the photo didn’t show, however was that these agents were posing for a photo-op in the aftermath of officers firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the peaceful crowd.
In the now-deleted tweet, Sector Chief Heitke claimed that they were protecting police from “lawless rioting & other criminal activities.” However, the photo of border patrol agents smiling with guns and military-grade equipment, standing with local police atop the remains of the all but destroyed altar paints a drastically different picture, one that falls in line with CBP’s culture of abuse and lack of accountability.
Sector Chief Heitke may have deleted his tweet, but we see CBP’s true colors — and we have the screenshots to prove it. We won’t let CBP, Border Patrol and law enforcement continue to go unchecked and not held accountable for their abuse and excessive use of force. All across the country CBP has been deployed to surveil and police peaceful protestors. CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the country who claim unprecedented powers that they believe allow them to violate 4th amendment protections in certain circumstances. They believe they are untouchable, and their culture of accountability and cruelty must be revealed for what it is.
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Border Patrol Gloating On Twitter About Being Deployed to Clamp Down on Protesters
By Yesenia Padilla
As communities across the country take to the streets to protest unjust policing practices, police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, Border Patrol agents are being deployed nationwide to clamp down on protesters.
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SBCC and Partners Call for Border Wall Construction End
Harmful, deadly and wasteful border wall doesn’t make us safer, but it does destroy wildlife and sacred lands, lead to horrific disappearances and deaths, and wastes billions of taxpayer dollars. Now, the current administration has used the COVID-19 pandemic to push forward on border wall construction, waving critical environmental protections while disregarding Covid-19 social distancing guidelines.
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Four Presidents and a Wall
By Vicki B. Gaubeca
Bull-dozing sacred burial sites. Destroying delicate wildlife. Siphoning billions of dollars from other programs to build dangerous and deadly border walls. President Donald Trump’s actions in the year since he declared a national emergency in a cash grab for wall funds — a state of emergency which he recently extended — seem like they’re out of dystopian novel, or the actions of a dastardly villain in a movie.
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Poll Shows Voters Have a ‘Crisis of Confidence’ in Trump’s Border Policies
A new poll of registered voters across the four southern border states reveals a “crisis of confidence” in Trump’s border and immigration policies. The poll asked voters whether they approve or disapprove of the president’s policies, how much they trust border agents, how we should treat asylum-seekers, and whether we should provide aid to those in distress, among other things.
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25 Years Later, Operation Gatekeeper’s Legacy is One Best Left Behind
By Vicki B. Gaubeca
Border Patrol checkpoints — far from the actual border — that threaten the civil liberties of millions and lead to the detention of U.S. citizens.
Unconstitutional, illegal cash grabs to build massive, senseless border walls, taking money away from schools and daycare programs for children of military, with complete disregard to the impact on wildlife, people or local communities.
Unaccountable border agents who act like a paramilitary force, and treat migrant children and families like like a threat, rather than vulnerable people seeking protection and safety.
While many of these blunt-force enforcement tactics have gained notoriety under the Trump administration, all of them have their roots in Operation Gatekeeper, a program which began 25 years ago this October 1.
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