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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Border Patrol Was Monstrous Under Obama. Imagine How Bad It Is Under Trump.
An agent in a blue jacket asked whether Jahveel was an illegal. He handcuffed her and drove her to a Border Patrol station in the border town of Campo. There, he slapped her twice on the buttocks and ordered her into a cell. He and another male agent told her to sign an order of voluntary departure, a deportation order. She refused.
Then the threats began. One agent said, in Spanish, according to the complaint she filed later, Right now, we close the door, we rape you and f*** you. If you cooperate with us, we can deport you to Mexico. Otherwise, we will take you to jail and deport your entire family. They told her that her child would end up in foster care.
Terrified and alone, Jahveel signed.
If you assumed this abuse happened during the Trump administration, think again. Jahveel was threatened in 2009 by President Obamas Border Patrol, and her treatment was not an isolated incident. Her case is part of a pattern of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse by Customs and Border Protection officials against child immigrants that existed long before President Trump emboldened the agency by unleashing its officers to enforce his draconian immigration policies.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/border-patrol-was-monstrous-under-obama-imagine
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)Law enforcement, in general, tends to attract sadistic, brutal types. Poor training and supervision often allows that brutality and sadistic behavior to continue and go unpunished. It is not within the policy of that organization, nor of any other law enforcement organization.
It was not Obama's behavior or leadership that caused that incident. It was the nature of the people who did it.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The ACLU piece is just pointing out how awful the Border Patrol has been behaving with impunity for years/decades, and how it will probably get even worse throughout the Trump administration.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)In fact, Barack Obama tried hard to make life easier for immigrants, documented or not.
I see what you did, though, in your thread title. So, I mentioned it.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)It was monstrous then with a POTUS who cared, imagine how awful it is now with Trump as president (who explicitly doesn't).
(The thread title is the verbatim title of the ACLU article).
Read the last paragraph:
President Trump was endorsed by the Border Patrol union, which had never previously endorsed a presidential candidate. If the abuses were this bad under Obama when the Border Patrol described itself as constrained, imagine how it must be now under Trump, who vowed to unleash the agents to do their jobs.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)I'm not fooled.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Did you read the article?
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)I also understand.
MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)Trump is committing genocide and tries to blame it on Obama and someone comes along and posts an article that calls Obama monstrous.
I think most people here will understand.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)It also says it's much worse under Trump.
I am grateful that people like Mitra Ebadolahi, who wrote this piece for the ACLU, are out there doing the work she is passionate about.
Here's her bio:
Mitra Ebadolahi (@MitraEbadolahi) has been with the ACLU since 2011. As a Border Litigation Project Staff Attorney, she focuses on identifying, documenting, and litigating human and civil rights violations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Her litigation thus lies at the intersection of immigrants' rights, racial justice, and police practices.
https://www.aclu.org/bio/mitra-ebadolahi
There are systematic problems that existed before Trump and will exist after he is gone unless we are willing to really do something about them.
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)smh
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I support the ACLU bringing these shameful actions to light.
I applaud those who have been fighting this fight for a long time now.
Critical to recognize that this must be fixed - which will involve more than just getting rid of Trump.
To some of us, this is more than just politics.
George II
(67,782 posts)shanny
(6,709 posts)Unfortunately, it is not the only one.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)It gives people who like to assert control over others the opportunity to do so legally, and often with little constraint. It's why police brutality is so common, and why it seems to be so hard to prevent or control. As an example, my city, Minneapolis, is reliably liberal in its voting habits, but its police department nevertheless has been staffed by a whole lot of racists and thugs for decades, and despite efforts by various mayors and police chiefs the problem still exists.
Too many people who want to be cops choose that career mainly because they like to dominate people. ICE and the Border Patrol seem to attract authoritarian assholes with the same racist, immigrant-hating mindset as Sheriff Arpaio, and if it's even worse now it's because it's obvious that Trump likes it that way and nobody is even going through the motions of trying to rein them in.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Hence they need to be constrained by more compassionate people higher up the food chain.
The ACLU has been trying to shine a light on these abuses for a very long time, and I applaud them for that.
It's sad and shameful that things are trending even worse now (and they were already monstrous).
George II
(67,782 posts)smh.....
oberliner
(58,724 posts)It documents the abuses of the Border Patrol under the Obama administration and expresses horror at how much worse it will be/is under Trump.
George II
(67,782 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)That's the only way to know what it says.
Do you think the systematic problems with Border Patrol throughout the 2000s and 2010s are being made up by the ACLU?
George II
(67,782 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Cha
(295,917 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Seems like that's what you are suggesting - which is odd.
How about we address the fact that the Border Patrol has been systematically flawed (to put it mildly) for years/decades?
George II
(67,782 posts)...is gaining traction.
Smh.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)And it makes some critically important points - notably that the Border Patrol has been engaging in the abuse of minors for quite some time. This is a cause that is bigger than politics for many people.
It also makes the point that, though the Border Patrol was monstrous under Obama, it will be/is much worse under Trump.
George II
(67,782 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)https://www.aclu.org/bio/mitra-ebadolahi
She seems like someone worth listening to.
Fiendish Thingy
(15,369 posts)ICE was created after 9/11 and operates under Homeland Security. As bad as the Border Patrol can be, under Trump, ICE has become a terrorist organization.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Very good and important point.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)The Republicans have insisted illegal border crossings have to be "zero" before they will do any immigration reform (they lied).
Worse is deporting DACA immigrants, treating refugees as criminals, deliberately separating women from their children and, as described at the very top, treating these fellow human beings like animals as policy.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Something important to remember - the system has been broken for a long time. Trump is of course making things much much worse and his cruelty seems to know no bounds. However, even when we are finally rid of Trump, we need to fix the systematic problems that pre-date him.
mucifer
(23,374 posts)everything President Obama did just because it was horrific but it's worse now.
President Obama knew about the patterns of abuse and looked the other way.
The thing I can applaud him for was encouraging an overall change in immigration law and for DACA.
But, that in no way excuses what he did as far as protecting the immigrants in custody before they were deported.
Yes, he is better than trump. But, he was also awful on this issue.
Issues we discuss here are often nuanced and we should acknowledge that.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I appreciate your comments and agree with your sentiments.
TimeSnowDemos
(476 posts)Sadly there's a real connection between WANTING to patrol borders and being a thug. I don't know why it is, but there's just waaaaaaay too much evidence to ignore. Maybe the border patrol chooses these sorts of people, or maybe they choose the border patrol, but... However it happens, like the police in many instances, the people guarding US borders are frequently awful and think they're above the law.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,063 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)The House refused to even consider it. But Oberliner makes a relevant point that this was a festering problem ripe for Don the Con to throw gas upon.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I do think this was an issue that Obama tried to address and met with resistance.
As the article points out, now that the Border Patrol is unconstrained under Trump, things are going to sadly get much worse.
Once we vote out the Republicans in Congress and we are free of Trump, we still have to make sure we address these issues.
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)On international affairs, Obama's major step --contribution if you like-- was to launch the most extensive global terrorism campaign the world has yet seen
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/03/19/noam_chomsky_obamas_drone_assassination_program_is_the_most_extensive_global_terrorism_campaign_the_world_has_yet_seen.html
Didn't make it so. But it reflects very poorly on Chomsky as this headline reflects poorly on the ACLU. Very poorly indeed.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)It is not even remotely similar to the Noam Chomsky quote.
The ACLU report shows that the Border Patrol was monstrous under Obama, and will be/is worse under Trump (as the headline indicates).
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)I honestly do not understand what you are suggesting about the ACLU.
sunRISEnow
(217 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)It states the fact that the Border Patrol was monstrous during Obama's presidency (examples provided in the report) and suggests, correctly, that it will be much worse under Trump (which is what we are now seeing).
sunRISEnow
(217 posts)And minimize Trump and his actions. See, they both do it/both parties are responsible/both are basically the same.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Children are being held in cages, like animals
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10663503
Trump's Amerika: First glimpse of immigrant children at holding facility
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10663452
They both show the same awful photos - which are from June, 2014.
BannonsLiver
(16,162 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Which everyone who actually cares about this issue ought to read in its entirety.
Here it is for anyone who is interested:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lplnnufjbwci0xn/CBP%20Report%20ACLU_IHRC%205.23%20FINAL.pdf?dl=0
sunRISEnow
(217 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Since this is clearly a topic that is important to you.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)The ACLU has been documenting this for many years. Look at the photos from 2014 that DUers are posting, thinking they are more recent (see my response above).
George II
(67,782 posts)As though Obama was responsible for that. It could have very easily said "The Border Patrol Was Monstrous before trump." , but that wouldn't have had it's desired effect and probably wouldn't have caught the eye of some.
It's a deceptive and misleading headline.
George II
(67,782 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)so many people just give up. "Terrified and alone" and so it's their fault she went along with what they want. If we are going to remain the rule of law, we have to stand up for ourselves.
They know they have to give you a hearing.
I say this out of personal experience of people coming to my office after they pled guilty to something, say they didn't do it and felt pressured, and guess what, that is not enough to get rid of the results.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Thank you for sharing that.
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)Oh fucking well.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Children are being held in cages, like animals
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10663503
Trump's Amerika: First glimpse of immigrant children at holding facility
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10663452
They both show the same awful photos - which are from June, 2014.
demmiblue
(36,751 posts)alerting on the ACLU?!
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Very much worth reading for anyone interested in this topic.