FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Michael Seifert, RGV Equal Voice Network, 956-507-0595, [email protected]
WHEN: July 9, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. CDT
WHERE: Across the Gateway International Bridge/ Port of Entry
East Elizabeth Street, Brownsville, Texas 78521
HOUSTON, TEXAS—Today, the ACLU of Texas and the RGV Equal Voice Network along with community leaders and volunteers will join communities in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in a day of action to simultaneously deploy “Border Reality Checkpoints.”
The border region is home to roughly 15 million people who encounter U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and the Border Patrol daily—when they go to work, buy groceries, or run basic errands. Unfortunately, the lack of adequate oversight for our nation’s largest law enforcement agency has allowed CBP to act out-of-control, abusing their power and the rights of border residents with little or no accountability.
“Rio Grande Valley residents report that CBP treats them with suspicion and subjects them to unjustified detention, invasive questioning and searches, verbal and physical abuse, excessive force and profiling,” states Astrid Domínguez, advocacy coordinator of the ACLU of Texas. “We’re here to remind people in border communities of their rights, to explain how the U.S. Constitution still applies here, and to listen to their concerns about abuse.”
“Major reforms of Border Patrol are long overdue,” adds Michael Seifert, network weaver for the Equal Voice Network in the Valley. “This Administration can put an end to excessive force and other abuses at the hands of CBP through simple reforms, such as the use of body-worn cameras paired with privacy protections.”
The “Border Reality Checkpoint” is one action in the ongoing Revitalize not Militarize campaign and aims to inform border residents of how to protect their rights, speak up about abuses, and join efforts to demand reforms. Today’s day of action includes checkpoints deployed in San Diego, CA; Tucson and Arivaca, AZ; Columbus, NM; and, El Paso and Brownsville, TX.
###
