Killed by Customs and Border Protection
2010
1. Jorge Solis-Palma
Age: 28
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death:Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 1-4-2010
Incident Location: Douglas, Az.
Border Patrol agents spotted three men traveling north near the border fence. The men separated. Several agents pursued Jorge Alfredo Solis-Palma. He allegedly got into a physical altercation with an agent and then escaped. As he ran, the agent pursued and fatally shot Solis-Palma.
Border Patrol Cameras Capture Parts of Shooting Incident; Footage counters statement
2. Victor Santillan de la Cruz
Age: 36
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal Shooting
Incident Date: 3-31-2010
Incident Location: Texas
A Border Patrol agent shot Santillan de la Cruz after he was apprehended on U.S. side of the Rio Grande allegedly transporting drugs.
3. Anastasio Hernandez Rojas
Age: 42
Nationality: Mexican, San Diego resident since age 18
Cause of Death: Tortured to death by CBP
Incident Date: 5-28-2012
Incident Location: San Diego, Ca.
Border agents apprehended and intended to deport Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, a long time San Diego resident who did not have legal status. While in custody over a dozen agents beat and Tased him to death. His family is now suing the government, there is a pending DOJ investigation, a Grand Jury hearing in process, and U.S. lawmakers have called for an agency wide investigation on the use of force.
4. Sergio Adrian H. Huereca
Age: 15
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 6-7-2010
Incident Location: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
A Border Patrol agent shot Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande canal between El Paso and Juarez. Hernandez peeked out from behind a concrete pillar on the Mexican side of the border. The agent claimed the boys were throwing rocks and he fired at Hernandez allegedly in self defense.
Family of Mexican teen killed by border agent sues U.S.
Border Shooting Strains Tensions With Mexico
5. Juan Mendez
Age: 18
Nationality: Unknown
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 10-5-2010
Incident Location: Eagle Pass, Texas
A Border Patrol agent stopped a truck that Juan Mendez was driving and began to question him. A 15-year-old boy fled the truck, and Mendez allegedly struggled with the agent. He was shot twice and declared dead at the scene. Authorities allegedly found 325 pounds of marijuana in the truck.
6. Ramses Barron Torres
Age: 17
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 1-5-2011
Incident Location: Nogales, Mexico
Barron Torres was allegedly climbing the border fence from Mexico when an agent shot him. He was pronounced dead upon his arrival at a Mexican hospital.
2011
7. Roberto Pérez Pérez
Age: 63
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Lack of medical care after being beaten.
Incident Date: 1-13-2011
Incident Location: San Diego, CA
Pérez Pérez attempted to cross without inspection through the San Ysidro Port of Entry when he was tackled, beaten and Tasered repeatedly by CBP officials. He was taken into custody and died months later while still in custody due to lack of adequate medical attention. He was charged with allegedly assaulting a federal agent.
Fallece mexicano que denunció una golpiza
8. Alex Martinez
Age: 30
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 2-27-2011
Incident Location: Washington State
Martinez family members called 911 requesting medical assistance. Border Patrol responded to the call and shot Martinez upon seeing him come out of his home with what they believed was a weapon and turned out to be a flashlight.
Deputy-Border Agent Shoots Man
9. Carlos Lamadrid
Age: 19
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 3-21-2011
Incident Location: Douglas, Az
Lamadrid, a U.S. citizen, was shot in the back by Border Patrol agents while he was climbing the border fence into Mexico. Agents claimed he was throwing rocks and they fired in self defense. He died five hours after the shooting in a hospital. The family has filed a lawsuit.
10. Jose Alfredo Yañez Reyes
Age: 40
Nationaility: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 6-21-2011
Incident Location: Tijuana, Mexico
Yañez Reyes was in a tree overlooking the border fence in Mexico when he was shot in the eye by Border Patrol agents on the U.S. side who claimed he was throwing rocks. He died at the scene.
11. Gerardo Rico Lozano
Age: 20
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 11-3-2011
Incident Location: Texas
Rico Lozano was shot and killed after agents pulled over his vehicle on a rural stretch of road. Other occupants and the driver fled, but Lozano allegedly got behind the wheel and drove the vehicle toward the agent. The agent claimed they shot and killed Rico Lozano in self defense.
One dead in Border Patrol shooting
Man killed by Border Patrol agent identified
12. Byron Sosa Orellana
Age: 28
Nationality: Guatemalan
Cause of Death: Fatal Shooting,
Incident Date: 12-6-2011
Incident Location: Arizona
Migrants were attempting to cross the border into Arizona when Border Patrol agents encountered them. Sosa Orellana allegedly became combative and an agent shot him in the chest. He died at the scene.
Border Patrol agent kills border-crosser in confrontation
AZ Border agent cleared in fatal shooting
2012
13. Alexander Martin
Age: 34
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of death: Death in vehicle explosion
Incident Date: 3-15-2012
Incident Location: San Diego County
Martin was driving a rental car from Texas to San Diego. He was allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 8. Border Patrol agents pursued him and he did not pull over. Agents set up a trap that flattened his car tires. When Martin did not get out of the car, an agent deployed a Taser. The car exploded into flames, killing him.
14. Charles Robinson
Age: 75
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 6-23-2012
Incident Location: Maine
Three Border Patrol agents responded to a domestic dispute after receiving a call for help from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department. Customs and Border Protection said a person in the house opened fire on the agents, who shot back. State police later entered the home and found Charles Robinson dead. The Maine Attorney General is investigating.
Man killed, border agent wounded in Maine shooting
15. Juan Pablo Santillán
Age: 30
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 7-7-2012
Incident Location: TX
Santillán was shot and killed for allegedly throwing rocks at a border agent while standing on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
16. Guillermo Arevalo Pedraza
Age: 37
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 9-3-2012
Incident Location: Nuevo Laredo, México
While patrolling the Rio Grande on a river boat, Border Patrol agents opened fire on a group of men, women and children who were at a family gathering on the Mexican banks of the river. Arevalo Pedraza was struck in the chest and died.
Border Patrol incident still under investigation
Video of incident
17. Valeria Munique Tachiquin
Age: 32
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 9-28-2012
Incident Location: Chula Vista, CA
A plain-clothed Border Patrol agent shot and killed Tachiquin in a residential suburb of San Diego. The agent alleged she had struck him and was carrying him on top of her car prompting him to fire in self defense.
Witnesses tell conflicting stories.
The border agent involved had a very troubling record when he worked as a sheriff’s deputy. The Imperial Valley Sheriff’s Department ultimately issued the agent a notice of termination for “unprofessional conduct, dishonesty, violation of or refusal to obey reasonable regulations, insubordination, violation of rules, incompetence and failure to follow proper procedures for arrest, search and seizure and treatment of persons in custody.”
18. Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie
Age: 30
Nationality: U.S.
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 10-2-2012
Incident Location: Naco, AZ
Ivie was killed by another Border Patrol agent while they were on patrol on horseback. The circumstances are still being investigated.
19. Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez
Age: 16
Nationality: Mexican
Cause of Death: Fatal shooting
Incident Date: 10-13-2012
Incident Location: Nogales, México
Border Patrol agents who were standing on the U.S. side shot at a group of youth near downtown Nogales, Mexico, after allegedly telling them to stop throwing rocks. Elena Rodriguez was struck with several bullets and died at the scene. He had been standing in front of a doctor’s office.
Border Patrol shooting of Mexican teen draws condemnation
Non-Lethal Cases of Border Brutality
1. Jesus Enrique Castro Romo
Age: 30
Nationality: Mexican
Incident: Survived shooting
Incident Date: 11-16-2010
Incident Location: Santa Cruz County, AZ
Castro Romo was shot in the stomach by a Border Patrol agent who alleged he threw rocks. He survived the shooting.
Agent charged with corruption now at center of civil suit over shooting
2. Jose Gutierrez Guzman
Age: 41
Nationality: Mexican
Incident: Tased and beaten into a comatose state
Incident Date: 3- 30- 2011
Incident Location: San Luis Port of Entry, AZ
While attempting to enter without inspection Gutierrez Guzman was Tased and beaten.
Jose Gutierrez Guzman Granted Temporary Stay in U.S., Still in Coma
For further reading, videos and information please visit the Investigative Newsource site: Deadly Patrols.
As my son, Jeremy Slack said, this is heartbreaking. We can find another way to treat our neighbors.
The insatiable American desire for illegal drugs is fueling these senseless killing and yet I am unsure that legalization is the answer.
Possibly, in the case of marijuana, but it may backfire on us all.