U.S. often deports immigrants but keeps their belongings
When Border Patrol agents caught Ramiro trying to cross the southern border illegally from Mexico to come to the United States, they took away his belongings, which included an ID and $250. He was deported after spending two months in jail, but his belongings were never returned to him. That left him with no money to buy a bus ticket to travel south to his home in Mexico. And without identification, he could not receive money that his family sent him through Western Union. SEE ALSO: Mother of killed Mexican teen sues U.S. Border Patrol Ramiros story is one of the dozens featured in a new report by the humanitarian group No More Deaths. It finds the U.S. government is deporting immigrants to border towns in Mexico without returning their money and other belongings, making them vulnerable to further exploitation and abuse. The failure to return money and belongings is a dangerous human rights violation that is not acceptable on any level, the authors of the report state. No More Deaths runs a project to help deportees recover their personal property after being detained in Arizona. From 2011 to 2014, the group responded to 1,481 requests from people who had been deported or were awaiting deportation and were seeking help to recover their belongings. Based on those request and interviews with immigrants who were recently deported, No More Deaths states in its report that oftentimes immigration agents simply fail to return money and belongings taken from immigrants when they were apprehended. The report says this is in part to a lack of coordination between agencies, like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Other times, the report also states, cash is returned to immigrants in forms that are difficult or impossible to use in Mexico. For example, money is sometimes returned to deportees in checks or money orders that cant be cashed in Mexico or that require high fees to do so. And there are also times when agents directly steal money from immigrants. The report highlights eight cases in which this happened. SEE ALSO: Abuse complaints against Border Patrol rarely lead to discipline Furthermore, No More Deaths highlights in its report that it documented 165 money-specific cases that totaled $37,025 in lost or unusable funds. Of that total, the group was able to help immigrants recover $12,851, while $24,174 was lost for good. In a statement to several news outlets, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and CBP, didnt directly address the report findings. Instead, DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron said the agency has strict standards in place to ensure that detainees personal property including funds, baggage and other effects is safeguarded and controlled while they are in detention and returned to them when they are released from CBP/ICE custody or removed from the United States. Any allegation of missing property will be thoroughly investigated, Catron added. No More Deaths concludes its report by making a number of recommendations, such as allowing immigrant detainees to have access to vital belongings like medications or phone numbers of loved ones. The group also calls on DHS to return immigrants money in cash and to implement policies thatll ensure immigrants recover all of their belongings. SEE ALSO: Immigrants detained in New Mexico sue over legal representationThe post U.S. often deports immigrants but keeps their belongings appeared first on Voxxi.
When Border Patrol agents caught Ramiro trying to cross the southern border illegally from Mexico to come to the United States, they took away his belongings, which included an ID and $250.
He was deported after spending two months in jail, but his belongings were never returned to him. That left him with no money to buy a bus ticket to travel south to his home in Mexico. And without identification, he could not receive money that his family sent him through Western Union.
SEE ALSO: Mother of killed Mexican teen sues U.S. Border Patrol
Ramiros story is one of the dozens featured in a new report by the humanitarian group No More Deaths. It finds the U.S. government is deporting immigrants to border towns in Mexico without returning their money and other belongings, making them vulnerable to further exploitation and abuse.
The failure to return money and belongings is a dangerous human rights violation that is not acceptable on any level, the authors of the report state.
No More Deaths runs a project to help deportees recover their personal property after being detained in Arizona. From 2011 to 2014, the group responded to 1,481 requests from people who had been deported or were awaiting deportation and were seeking help to recover their belongings.
Based on those request and interviews with immigrants who were recently deported, No More Deaths states in its report that oftentimes immigration agents simply fail to return money and belongings taken from immigrants when they were apprehended. The report says this is in part to a lack of coordination between agencies, like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Other times, the report also states, cash is returned to immigrants in forms that are difficult or impossible to use in Mexico. For example, money is sometimes returned to deportees in checks or money orders that cant be cashed in Mexico or that require high fees to do so.
And there are also times when agents directly steal money from immigrants. The report highlights eight cases in which this happened.
SEE ALSO: Abuse complaints against Border Patrol rarely lead to discipline
Furthermore, No More Deaths highlights in its report that it documented 165 money-specific cases that totaled $37,025 in lost or unusable funds. Of that total, the group was able to help immigrants recover $12,851, while $24,174 was lost for good.
In a statement to several news outlets, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and CBP, didnt directly address the report findings.
Instead, DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron said the agency has strict standards in place to ensure that detainees personal property including funds, baggage and other effects is safeguarded and controlled while they are in detention and returned to them when they are released from CBP/ICE custody or removed from the United States.
Any allegation of missing property will be thoroughly investigated, Catron added.
No More Deaths concludes its report by making a number of recommendations, such as allowing immigrant detainees to have access to vital belongings like medications or phone numbers of loved ones. The group also calls on DHS to return immigrants money in cash and to implement policies thatll ensure immigrants recover all of their belongings.
SEE ALSO: Immigrants detained in New Mexico sue over legal representation
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The post U.S. often deports immigrants but keeps their belongings appeared first on Voxxi.
