US Border and Customs Officers Allegedly Called Residents Prostitutes and Much More

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights and other groups along the New Mexico and Texas border want the actions of some Border Protection officers investigated.

This after 13 residents complained they experienced abuse along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso and New Mexico. The coalition of advocacy groups said some of the residents were being falsely accused of being prostitutes and having their legal documents seized for no reason.

51-year-old Amanda Rodríguez Varela was detained at the Paso Del Norte Bridge in El Paso, Texas last year. Officers accused her of being a sex worker and suggested she has a sexually transmitted disease before detaining her.

The complaint also states, the officers have harassed border crossers with legal documents and also threatened retaliation when the residents promised to file complaints. The Department of Homeland Security's office of Inspector General didn't respond to the allegations.