SAN DIEGO — A video showing a U.S. Border Patrol agent apparently running over a migrant near the San Ysidro border crossing has sparked calls for an investigation.
The incident, which occurred on November 27, was captured on cell phone footage and is now being reviewed by the U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility.
The video depicts a group of migrants attempting to enter the United States using a ladder to scale the border wall. Moments later, a Border Patrol SUV is seen striking one of the migrants without appearing to slow down. The migrant then gets up and runs back toward Mexico.
Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee's U.S.-Mexico Border Program, expressed his concern about the incident.
"It is appalling," Rios told CBS 8. "The disturbing part to me is that there aren't any brake lights, it's a direct hit, and that raises a question about whether the intention was to strike the individual as a way to stop and apprehend him, which just goes against any type of policy that we would have in place."
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement confirming that Border Patrol arrested two people near the San Ysidro Port of Entry during a "human smuggling incident."
The statement noted, "Both individuals were part of a group who used a ladder to scale the border barrier to enter illegally into the United States. Upon arrival at the incident location, an agent driving a Border Patrol vehicle collided with an individual who then absconded into Mexico."
Rios criticized CBP's choice of words, particularly the use of "collided."
"The word 'collided' seems to take away any responsibility and intention of what took place," he said, "and it seems to me almost that that statement is trying to minimize what we actually saw and witnessed on the video, and that is concerning."
Human rights activists are calling for more than just a review. They demand a thorough investigation into the incident and for the agent involved to be relieved of duty.
Rios questioned, "If the Border Patrol agent felt so brazen enough to use his vehicle as a weapon to strike someone, has he conducted himself in this way in the past that would raise alarms, that would raise questions about his ability to be out in the field?"
CBP has notified the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the Mexican Consulate about the incident.
As the investigation unfolds, human rights advocates are urging Border Patrol to reiterate to all agents that vehicles cannot be used as weapons under any circumstances and to conduct a transparent investigation into the matter.
Here is the full statement from Customs and Border Protection:
"On November 27, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents arrested two individuals near the San Ysidro Port of Entry during a human smuggling incident. Both individuals were part of a group who used a ladder to scale the border barrier to enter illegally into the United States. Upon arrival at the incident location, an agent driving a Border Patrol vehicle collided with an individual who then absconded into Mexico. The incident is being reviewed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility and the United States Attorney's Office. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Mexican Consulate were notified."