Press Releases

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Media Contact: Kendall Martin / [email protected] / Mobile/text: (1) 619.629.0337

View IACHR Hearing in English from November 4, 2022

February 15, 2023 — Yesterday, the family of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas submitted its final arguments to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) before it decides a landmark case on law enforcement abuse and impunity in the United States. The filing follows a historic hearing before the IACHR on November 4, 2022, the first-ever hearing on excessive use of force involving the United States Government. The IACHR gave the family and the Government until February 14, 2023, to submit final observations regarding the hearing.

SAN DIEGO, CA - February 6, 2023 — Today, in advance of the State of the Union speech tomorrow, Alliance San Diego sent a letter to President Biden urging him to do more to protect our human rights so all of us can participate with dignity in an inclusive democracy. Alliance was compelled to write this letter because of tragic and ongoing violations of human rights by law enforcement in the United States. 

View IACHR Hearing in English from November 4, 2022

November 7, 2022 — On Friday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) heard testimony from the family of Anastasio Hernández Rojas, who was a longtime San Diego resident until border agents tortured and killed him on May 28, 2010 in front of dozens of people without any consequence, leaving his family without justice. This is the first case opened against the United States for an extrajudicial killing.

October 28, 2022 — In the first case against the United States for an extrajudicial killing, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has decided to proceed with a public hearing on November 4th at 1 pm (San Diego time). The Commission’s decision comes after more than 200 organizations submitted a letter in support of an open hearing to counter the U.S. government’s objections. The case focuses on Anastasio Hernández Rojas, who was a San Diego resident for 25 years until border agents tortured and killed him in front of dozens of people without any consequence, leaving his family without justice.

*Translated from the Spanish version below.*

• In May 2010, Anastasio Hernández was brutally murdered by US border agents in front of multiple witnesses. On November 4th, the IACHR will determine in a hearing – the first to be held for an extrajudicial killing committed by the US government – ​​if the power of the State was used to kill Anastasio, cover up the crime and deny his family access to justice.

Mexico City, October 25th, 2022. Today, at a press conference organized at Museo Memoria y Tolerancia, Alliance San Diego and Berkeley Law, together with their client María Puga, called on organizations that defend migrants’ rights, civil society and academia to ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to keep the hearing on November 4th open to the public, for the sake of transparency and considering the significant public interest that the case of Anastasio Hernández Rojas has generated.

The widow of Anastasio, Maria Puga, and the attorneys representing the family are in Mexico City to elevate this landmark case and the hearing convened  by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on November 4th 2022. The IACHR will determine whether United States law enforcement officials killed Anastasio Hernández Rojas, orchestrated a cover up, and denied the family access to justice. This emblematic case is the first involving a killing by U.S. law enforcement to be opened by the IACHR and will set a precedent for those that follow.

Family seeks justice for the killing of Anastasio Hernández Rojas and the cover-up by border agents in the first case of this kind to be heard against the United States.

SAN DIEGO, CA — In the latest development in a landmark case, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the investigative arm of the Organization of American States, will hold a hearing to determine whether United States law enforcement officials used the power of the state to kill Anastasio, cover it up, and deny the family access to justice. The hearing, which will be virtual and broadcast live, has been set for November 4, 2022, at 4:00 pm eastern.

SAN DIEGO, CA - October 11, 2022 — In their continued fight to protect election integrity, Alliance San Diego and voters have just filed their argument in a case before the California Appellate Court that calls into question the actions of the San Diego City Council to upend the March 2020 election results. At a time when the nation is still grappling with the dangerous attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the San Diego case reminds us that abuse of power can happen anywhere. 

Organizations call on the San Diego City Council to ask the hard questions. 

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council Land Use & Housing Committee voted to forward the mayor’s recommendation for a developer to redevelop public land in the Midway area without taking into account the many red flags emerging. Community organizations call on the full City Council to ask the hard questions that are being ignored to protect the public interest.

Family calls for a hearing before international human rights body in the first extrajudicial killing case against the United States

SAN DIEGO, CA —  The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Commission) is poised to hear arguments in a landmark case that has revealed systemic abuse and impunity in the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Petitioners in the case of Family members of Anastasio Hernández Rojas vs. United States just submitted a request for a hearing before the international human rights body for its fall session, which begins in late October. The request comes at a time when the United States faces increasing scrutiny for the widespread coverup of killings and other misconduct by border agents.