🕵️♀️🚫🚗💥🔫 Initially-Secret Report: Customs&Border Patrol Agents Got in Way of Vehicles, Then Used Deadly Force
🤖 AI Summary
- 👮 Customs and Border Protection agents intentionally stood in front of moving vehicles to create a legal pretext for using deadly force.
- 📄 A 2013 report by the Police Executive Research Forum identified this pattern but was initially kept secret from Congress and the public.
- 🙈 CBP officials provided Congress with summaries that omitted controversial findings regarding agents placing themselves in harm’s way.
- 🚫 Internal leadership initially rejected recommendations to change use-of-force policies despite evidence of systemic misconduct.
- 🎥 Policy changes were only enacted after the Los Angeles Times exposed the report’s contents in 2014.
- 🛑 Current regulations prohibit agents from using their bodies to block vehicles or creating situations where deadly force becomes the only option.
- 🚀 Shooting a driver creates an unguided missile, as a bullet cannot stop a multi-ton vehicle and endangers bystanders.
- 📹 Critics argue that without body cameras and objective reporting, written policies fail to prevent ongoing abuse.
🤔 Evaluation
⚖️ The claims in the video align with reporting from the Los Angeles Times, which detailed the 2013 PERF report. However, the American Immigration Council notes in their report, CBP Use of Force: An Overview, that transparency remains a persistent issue despite these policy updates. To better understand the situation, one should explore the Department of Homeland Security’s annual use-of-force statistics and independent audits from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
🚔 Q: What was the main finding of the 2013 PERF report on CBP?
🔓 A: The report found agents deliberately stepped into the path of fleeing vehicles to justify shooting the drivers under the guise of self-defense.
📜 Q: Did CBP change its use-of-force policy after the 2013 PERF report on CBP?
✅ A: Yes, CBP updated its handbook in 2014 to explicitly forbid agents from placing themselves in a vehicle’s path or using their bodies as blocks.
🔫 Q: Why is shooting at a moving vehicle ineffective?
☄️ A: Experts state that a small bullet cannot stop a 4,000-pound vehicle, and disabling the driver turns the car into an uncontrollable threat to the public.
📚 Book Recommendations
↔️ Similar
- 🛡️ Border Wars by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear explores the internal politics and enforcement tactics of modern border agencies.
- 🌵 The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú provides a firsthand look at the culture and moral complexities of serving in the Border Patrol.
🆚 Contrasting
- 🏗️ Walls by David Frye examines the historical necessity and civilizational impact of border barriers from a defensive perspective.
- 🛂 Border Security by James Phelps, Monica Koenigsberg, and Robert Dailey discusses the operational challenges and strategic importance of securing national boundaries.
🎨 Creatively Related
- 🏙️ Police Power and the Video Revolution by Mary D. Fan analyzes how body cameras and digital recordings change law enforcement accountability.
- 🛑👮 The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale questions the fundamental role of law enforcement and suggests alternative models for public safety.