In the US today, who do we treat like less than human? It is an offensive yet important question, because therein lies the heart of modern-day discrimination and human rights abuse. One of these groups, and I would argue there are others, is undocumented migrants. Both policy and practice make clear that the US is treating migrants, especially those who have crossed or are attempting to cross the border illegally, as less than human.
Earlier this month, a member of the Texas Department of Public Safety lodged a complaint with superiors saying that while serving border duty he was instructed to deny migrants water and push migrants, even children and some injured by barbed wire, back to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande river. These accusations are under investigation.
Texas Governor Abbott has placed massive orange buoys in the Rio Grande between Piedras Negras, Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas. The buoys, accompanied by razor wire, are intended to keep out undocumented people, including asylum seekers. Federal and local authorities report that they were not consulted about these policies. Efforts are now underway to sue the Governor into removing the obstacles.
While not commenting on the specifics, the Texas governor’s office justified these practices saying, “Texas is deploying every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings between ports of entry…” It is pretty clear that extreme cruelty is one of those tools.
These are only the most recent obstacles to migration placed under the deterrence-based theory of migration control. A theory for which cruelty is a central component. The idea is that if migrants suffer enough, word will get home and people will stop coming.
Consider a few of the past deterrence-based policies.
The Wall – the construction of the wall started decades ago. Every year it gets longer or higher. It has done little to stop undocumented migration to the United States. It has however, resulted in the death of hundreds each year as people are forced to circumvent the wall by crossing in remote and dangerous areas. Migrants regularly fall crossing the wall resulting in deaths and severe injury.
Family Separation – This was the forced separation of children from their parents after being apprehended crossing the border. This heinous practice was only stopped after it was used hundreds of times. When it started around 2018 the US government didn’t even track where the children were sent after separation. The US government still hasn’t figured out how to reunite some of these families, meaning that children were basically stolen from their parents.
I know that there are many US border officials who act with humanity toward migrants, but the scale of reported abuse and the lack of institutional response to hold abusers accountable tell us that there is a cultural problem and that the lack of accountability means that it just keeps rolling along.
Accountability for Abuses at the U.S.- Mexico Border: How to Address Failures and Protect Rights, a report about to be released by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the KINO Border Initiative showcases thousands of cases of migrant abuse by border officials. Abuses range from fatalities to physical and verbal abuse during detention.
Reading the report, one is overwhelmed by the quantity of cruelty: people who had been kidnapped in Mexico being deported back; those severely injured by falling off the wall being returned across the border to places with few services; people being needlessly lied to; regular reports of identification documents being confiscated and not returned; and excessive use of force while being detained. It also documents how extraordinarily difficult it is for anyone to achieve redress when abuse charges are filed. This lack of accountability creates a culture of cruelty.
In the US there is a growing awareness and documentation of police abuse and the excessive use of force. While police abuses still happen, as a society we are more aware and less tolerant of these actions. Citizens video encounters with police, reports are made to the press and authorities are expected to investigate and prosecute.
Those who cross the border between ports of entry, seem presumed to have lost their right to humanity. If they are disrespected and abused as if they deserve it.
There are so many examples in US history where different groups of people have been treated as less than human, not deserving rights: Native Americas, African Americans, Chinese Americans, Braceros, Japanese Americans, to name a few. Looking back, we now decry their treatment as acts of extreme prejudice and like to think that we are better people now.
But, ask the question: Who do we treat as people less deserving than us? Who do we deny the right to compassion and human dignity? Clearly, we accept the abuse of migrants. If not, where is the outrage?
* Joy Olson is the former Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a research and advocacy organization working to advance human rights. Twitter: @JoyLeeOlson
