Mexican migrants in custody of US border authorities often suffer from physical and verbal abuse, according to a new study released Tuesday.
Migrants also frequently have valuable possessions taken from them while in US custody that are not returned, according to the study conducted by researchers at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank immigration Policy Center, the University of Arizona, Georgetown University and the University of Texas-El Paso.
The findings are based on interviews with more than 1,100 migrants between 2009 and 2012 in six Mexican cities shortly after the migrants had been deported from the US.
Of those interviewed, about one in 10 said they had been subjected to some sort of physical abuse, like being pushed, pulled, dragged or lifted in a way that caused stress or pain.
Researchers say the frequency of migrant abuses suggest systemic problems within the Border Patrol and US Customs and Border Protection.
“This type of repetitive, consistent abuse of one in 10 people is really disturbing. What it suggests is these are not isolated incidents. This is institutional-level problems,” said Jeremy Slack, a researcher at the University of Arizona who oversaw the interviews for the study.
The report also said that about one-third of those claiming physical abuse said they had been hit, kicked, pushed or thrown down while restrained. A small number said they received lasting injuries or felt they had been sexually abused while in US custody.
About 23 percent of the migrants interviewed said they had been subjected to verbal abuse. Those who reported verbal abuse said it most commonly consisted of them being cursed at or yelled at in an angry tone.
AHT/ARA
With permission
Source: Press TV