In a recent post, I wrote about how violent crime is down in states that border Mexico. This is true despite the repeated fear-mongering of right-wingers, who insist that millions of illegal immigrants are swarming American cities to murder, rape, and desecrate at will.
As it turns out, however, this week offered a spectacularly bloody example of violence along the border. Unfortunately, the violence was committed by us.
You've heard, no doubt, that a fifteen-year-old boy was gunned down near Cuidad Juarez. A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot the teen, supposedly because the boy was among a crowd of Mexican kids throwing rocks at the agent, who feared for his life. Others have said that the agent freaked out and started firing into Mexico, killing a kid who was no threat.
The victim, Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, was either "a straight-A student" or a "repeat juvenile offender" with a "history of involvement with human smuggling," depending whose story you believe. Of course, that doesn't really matter. Either the action was self-defense, or it was murder.
I don't know if the shooting was legit. From this one video clip, it certainly looks like the Border Agent overreacted. But to verify that, we need an investigation.
One would think this is a fairly reasonable request. However, the opinion of many on the right is that even looking into the shooting is an unpatriotic travesty. We've heard that the agent should get a medal, and that questioning his decision to open fire is nothing more than liberal, hate-America, criminal-coddling demagoguery. But that's not the most intense aspect of this story.
For that, one needs only to read the online comments posted about the shooting. My favorite was the straightforward "One down, 12 million to go." We'll set aside the fact that the boy was not actually one of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in America (his body was found in Mexico). The implication, of course, is that we need a systematic liquidation of the undocumented.
I have to assume that the commentator was spouting off and didn't mean his post to be a call to genocide (of course, who really knows). But many others have posted similar sentiments.
The point is that regardless of one's opinion of illegal immigration, it is beyond vile to gloat about a teenage boy getting a bullet in the head. It's particularly grotesque that many of the people who post such comments consider themselves fine examples of American virtue and/or Christian compassion.
Just recently, I wrote that sending more troops to the border seemed odd unless they were authorized to use lethal force. And in such cases, "I doubt that all but the most hardened Minuteman will be indifferent to the inevitable sight of a gunned-down family."
Clearly, I was wrong. Many Americans are so full of the milk of human kindness that it causes them not one pang of disgust to hear about a child shot down. In fact, to many, it may even be a cause for rejoicing.
I've written that the first step in immigration reform is to see the undocumented as humans, rather than as some virus that needs to be eradicated. This seemingly obvious statement, unfortunately, needs to be reiterated from time to time.
Again, when it comes to this case, I don't know if the Border Patrol agent was justified or if he's some trigger-happy nut. But it certainly isn't un-American to ask the question.
Nor is it admirable to do online cartwheels when a teenager gets killed. And that's true, as hard as it is for some people to believe, even if the kid is Mexican.
My last weekly vid included this shooting (with translated clip from Univision) http://theunapologeticmexican.org/elmachete/2010/06/16/news-with-nezua-war-by-other-means/ )
Thanks for the post.
I am a combat veteran and as such I fell victim of rock (and glass bottle) throwing countless times while patrolling the streets of Iraq. We NEVER responded to those attacks by opening fire on the youths. As part of service to our nation we have an example to set before the world.
The sad thing is that every news agency website that I visited based in Mexico read the SAME EXACT story and the US media had all different versions depending on the website you read.
This kid, after school, was waiting on his brother to get of work to walk home together, as his brother works at the border checking luggage of people going back and forth, and for those of you not familiar with Santa Fe Bridge, it connects both down towns of Juarez and El Paso together, where businesses extend right up to the border crossing on both sides, so is not unusual for people to be hanging around that area as is not some deserted place. It is outrageous how some media outlets are saying that he was a criminal on a most wanted list arrested for the first time six years ago, that would have made him what nine if he was fifteen? Sad the urge to justify the way this agent reacted. How do you "justify" the actions I mentioned above then?
They get better training than us (military) as they handle civilians way more often
"A Seattle police officer punched a teenage girl in the face, during a confrontation Monday afternoon that was captured by a witness on video." "The arrests come seven weeks after a high-profile incident in which two officers were caught on video kicking and stomping a prone robbery suspect. One officer kicked the man ...while he was lying on the sidewalk and shouted, "I'm going to beat the [expletive] Mexican piss out of you, homey. You feel me?" Officers later let the man go after they realized he was the wrong person."
What is going on lately with law enforcement? There is an honor to serving and protecting, if you can't keep honor and integrity then, what makes you any better than the ones you are fighting against?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/06/border_patrol_union_defends_me.html””
Well of course he should. He shot and killed a 15-year-old child who may or may no have been throwing rocks. A hero of such dimension and bravery going up against stones with a little .40 caliber weapon is the stuff action movies are made of. Plus he was brown, and a child for that added bonus.
What has this country of ours come to when such a cowardly overreaction is praised and honored by right wing wacko’s.
It is interesting that they do NOT want an investigation. I guess that would be too much fact and reality for the fascist xenophobes.
We need a national day of mourning for Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca to pay our respects; and a one day general strike to shut this counry down and give it time for reflection on just how important the undocumented people are to us!
Lawlessness at the border needs to end. The teenager was involved in human smuggling. Why else would he be meddling with a group of people at the border? This kid was asking for trouble and he got it. The rancher was trying to help these people and his compassion cost him his life.
We had a war hero do exactly the same thing up here: someone showed up and asked for a jump for a car and the criminal hit in the head with a crowbar.
The criminal was an American so I guess you will want to blame all Americans for the crime.
will get back to normal. The US will get cheap labor and Mexico can delay the upcoming revolution.
With phrases like "gunned down" and "murder", you are quick to draw conclusions for someone that states "I don't know if the shooting was legit.". You've convicted this agent before any research has been done by your own words "it certainly looks like the Border Agent overreacted."
There are more than just two scenerios possible, Mr. Cubias, not just self defense and murder. How about accidental or unintentional. Is that possible? Of course it is. Let the facts play out first, for the sake of this young man and the BP agent.
And I have yet to hear that there should not be an investigation except for the tea baggers who insist the liberals are suggesting that the border guard should be convicted without a trial.
I don't know where you are from, but if someone points a gun at someone and pulls the trigger several times, there indeed can be several possibilities but one of them is not accidental .
If we can't even figure out the basic facts, how are we supposed to agree on the conclusion.
By the way, there's a third option -- manslaughter.
The "violence" was two sided according to all the reports I've read. A group of teens (I've seen the size of the group change in the reports, but it is always at least five strong) were attacking an officer with rocks while he was doing his job.
Like all law enforcement shootings, this one will be investigated. What it will come down to is did the agent have a reasonable fear for his life and safety? I’m guessing that he did.
He was 15. Some 15 year olds have mustaches. And there is nothing like being dead to age oneself.
Police officers who have the adrenaline pumped up aren't supposed to relieve it by pulling out a gun and shooting people who are nearby. Honest. It is probably in the manual.
How is that in any way better that we shot a 20 year old guy who may not have done anything wrong?
An investigation is clearly necessary, since the facts are pretty unclear.
Let me know if you can find a assault with a deadly weapon conviction of someone throwing stones.
One wonders exactly what kind of training they get- are they trained in when they can use lethal force?
Anyway you slice it, this kid sure appears to have done at least one thing wrong if not several.The funny thing about doing the wrong thing, is that you often have to pay for it.
It is not a capital crime to be a Latino in Arizona- not yet. Perhaps with the tea baggers it will be- maybe illegal to be a member of a few other minorities, we shall see. But even in Arizona, there is a court system and justice- even in Arizona- should be delivered by them, not some hot head with a gun.