Time is almost up for the Trump administration to respond to the extrajudicial killing of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas at the hands of border agents
San Diego, CA - The Trump administration has until Thursday to respond to the first ever case of an extrajudicial killing by law enforcement against the United States -- and so far, it looks like it will stay silent and ignore one of the most respected international human rights organizations.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) opened the case against the United States in May, and gave the administration until Thursday, August 10 to respond. The case alleges that border agents engaged in the extrajudicial killing and torture of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas, a resident of San Diego who was beaten to death in San Diego in 2010.
Failure to respond to the Commission could result in a default judgment for the complainants, and would break with the United States' decades-long history of active and robust engagement with the IACHR. It would also signal that the Trump administration will not hold Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable for its actions as it looks to quickly hire thousands of unaccountable agents by lowering hiring standards.
Andrea Guerrero, Executive Director of Alliance San Diego, and co-counsel on the case, issued the following statement:
"The administration has a rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to respond to these allegations and address the culture of abuse and impunity at CBP. Ignoring the Commission would send a chilling signal both at home and abroad that the United States is not committed to protecting human rights, and not interested in holding border agents accountable for their actions. This is one of the most egregious cases of death, abuse and impunity by border agents, and we expect the administration to come to the table and explain why nobody was held accountable for this senseless, brutal killing. It would be shameful for the United States to turn its back on one of the most important human rights organization in the Americas."
About Alliance San Diego
Alliance San Diego is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) community empowerment organization working to ensure that all people can achieve their full potential in an environment of harmony, safety, equality, and justice. Our mission is to to provide a means for diverse individuals and organizations to share information, collaborate on issues and mobilize for change in the pursuit of social justice, especially in low-income communities and communities of color. We pursue this mission through targeted civic engagement programs and strategic coalitions that focus on specific issues and policy reforms.
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