Racist killings must be stopped

Protesters demand justice for slain father.

Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas was killed in California by Border Patrol agents in May 2010 when he reentered the U.S. from Mexico after having been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 42-year-old father of five was returning to be with his family when he was seized by Border Patrol agents.

PBS aired a recently uncovered video of Hernandez-Rojas being tortured and beaten on its “Need to Know” show April 20 entitled “Crossing the Line at the Border.” The horrifying video, taken by an eye-witness who was crossing the border, shows close to 20 Border Patrol agents participating in the beating and tasering of Hernandez-Rojas.

It has been two years since the death of Hernandez-Rojas at the hands of the U.S. Border Patrol, and there have been no arrests. The Department of Homeland Security will not even release the names of the agents involved.

In a similar incident, Carlos de La Madrid of Douglas, Ariz., was killed by Border Patrol agents in March 2011. Nineteen-year-old de La Madrid was shot in the back and left to die. His family is still demanding justice, having been denied the autopsy report and the names of the agents involved in their son’s murder.

These two examples of the impunity of the Border Patrol show how deeply racism is embedded in all the police agencies of the state. Whether it’s the Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, the local cops or the Border Patrol, they all exist solely to repress the masses of people. Like the U.S./NATO armies of occupation that crawl the globe protecting the interests of the super-rich, these armies at home occupy and terrorize our communities. A movement based on unity and solidarity can push them out of our communities once and for all.