Two years after border tasing death, the death of Anastasio Hernández remains unanswered by the federal government
Por: SanDiegoRed.com 30 Mayo 2012
SAN DIEGO.- "It only took minutes to kill my son, but two years have passed and still there is no answer," these are the words of Maria de la Luz
Rojas, mother of Anastasio Hernandez , who died at the hands of immigration agents.
It was the night of May 28, 2010, when before the eyes of witnesses, a dozen officers delivered a brutal beating to the Mexican a few steps from
Puerta Mexico in San Ysidro.
Although Anastasio Hernandez cried for help, a video shows how the immigration officers beat him incessantly, and while he was handcuffed and face
down, they shot five times a stun gun (taser) to his body.
The Mexican left five children, all U.S. citizens.
Two years after, the murder which was qualified by a lawsuit as "torture" remains unpunished, and the worst part is that it adds to seven other cases
of abuse that have occurred at the border in recent years.
"The reported abuses and events unraveling from San Diego, California, to McAllen, Texas, are exposing an agency that is out of control and acting
above the law", said Christian Ramirez, director of the Coalition of Communities South of the Border, an association that has initiated a national
movement whose aim is to demand justice for this case.
"If Customs and Border Protection can get away with homicide and torture, we must ask, what else are they getting away with?" he added.
It has been two years that the border community has demanded justice without success. Even in late April, a national program revealed previously
unseen images, where there is no doubt that the assassination of Anastasio was due to an abuse of power by officials, same officials that, to date,
they have not received any type of sanction.
On May 10, Mother's Day, Maria de la Luz Hernández, mother of Anastasio traveled from San Luis Potosi to Congress in Washington demanding answers. The
trip attracted the attention of 16 congressmen, who showed their support to the families of the Mexican and made an appeal to the Department of
Justice.
Also, a national campaign has raised over 33,000 signatures on the community.
Joining these actions, on Wednesday the coalition will lead a march to the outskirts of the Federal District Attorney of San Diego, where they will
make public a letter to be sent to the U.S. President Barack Obama, demanding transparency and an informative report in regard to Anastasio
'investigation.
"President Obama made a commitment to open and transparent government; but there is anything but openness and transparency in Customs and Border
Protection, our nation's largest law-enforcement agency", accused Andrea Guerrero, representative of the coalition.
Also, activists will demand the Justice Department, the office in charge of the investigation, for responses to allegations of excessive use of force
by immigration agencies, besides demanding punishment to the officers involved in the beating that cut short the Mexican's life.
The letter also requests the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide better training to its border agents.
This past Monday, the family of Anastasio attended a Mass in memory of the Mexican who lived more than 20 years in San Diego."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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