1 In 100 Border Agents Investigated For Corruption

By Ruxandra Guidi SAN DIEGO — Agent Rodolfo Zúñiga loves his job. A native of Laredo, Texas, he was stationed in San Diego during a stint in the Navy. He loved this area so much that he applied for a job at the Border Patrol just to get back here. And he did, four years ago, after passing a series of tests, including a background test and a lie-detector test. “You don’t only go through a background investigation when you begin," said Zúñiga. He was describing the measure...

Flagrant Human Rights Violations on U.S. Soil

By John Carlos Frey When most people think of the U.S.-Mexico border, they rarely think about a zone where U.S. policy and U.S. agents violate human rights on a daily basis. In the border region it is common practice. I know it doesn't sound possible or true, but it is real and happens regularly. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The term "no one" means w...

San Diego and Tijuana Migrant Rights Coalitions Denounce Growing Pattern of Border Brutality

Este mensaje se repetirá en español San Diego and Tijuana Migrant Rights Coalitions Denounce Growing Pattern of Border Brutality Contacts: Ricardo Favela San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (760) 468-4519 www.immigrantsandiego.org San Diego, CA José A. Moreno Mena Coalición Pro Defensa del Migrante, A.C. (686) 137-1381 (664) 607-7077 Tijuana, B.C. Tijuana/San Diego - The Migrant Defense Coalition (based in Baja California, Mexico) and t...

Cartel corruption reaches into the ranks of U.S. border agents, officials say

By Daniel Hernandez Mexican drug cartels are increasingly luring U.S. border agents into smuggling operations with offers of cash and sex, authorities acknowledged in Washington last week. Top officials in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told a Senate subcommittee during a hearing on Thursday that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are attempting to generate "systematic corruption" among the ranks of U.S. customs and border patrol agents, forcing the agency to open hundre...

Immigrant hunting? What’s happening to my country?

Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a CNN.com contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist. San Diego, California (CNN) -- What is it about immigration? It brings out the best in America. And yet, talking about it brings out the worst in many Americans. The United States is becoming withdrawn and bitter, and the national mood is becoming uglier. It's nothing new. We live in a country that has -- for more than 220 years -- held the curious distinction of being a nation of imm...

Transfer Of Immigrants In Detention On The Rise

By Ruxandra Guidi SAN DIEGO — According to a new report by the international non-profit, Human Rights Watch, the transfer of immigrant detainees can violate their rights to fair treatment in court and extend their time in detention. The report says this practice of transferring immigrants from one detention center to another denies them access to attorneys, witnesses, and evidence they need to defend against deportation. "Immigrants are entitled to a fair day in court," said U.S. progra...