BORDER PATROL AGENTS DEFEND AGAINST AGGRESSIVE AND DEFIANT DEMONSTRATORS

November 15, 2007 (Calexico, California)

(NOTICE: The video links included below contain extremely graphic language and caution should be used in opening files in front of family members.)

Border Patrol Agents in Calexico, California were forced to protect fellow agents and themselves against aggressive and defiant demonstrators who refused to move away from the border fence that they were damaging.  It is important to note that the violence the agents faced on Sunday was only a small sliver of what they face on a daily basis from illegal aliens, smugglers, and activists like the ones on Sunday. 

One video that appears on the activist's website begins by showing Border Patrol Agents calmly asking people to move away from the fence. It shows the demonstrators ignoring the agents and refusing to comply with the agents directions.  Then, as the demonstrators pushed against the agents, the video shows the agents defending themselves by pushing the demonstrators away to avoid being pinned against the fence. The video shows a large white PVC pipe being pushed into the agents and demonstrators screaming and chanting within inches of their faces.  It shows one demonstrator, later identified as Juan Esteban Ruiz, continually moving forward at an agent as the agent repeatedly pushes him back and directs him to "get back".  At three minutes, the video is obviously edited and jumps from footage shot within five feet of the fence to footage shot thirty to forty feet from the fence.  During the remainder of the video clip, the person shooting the video continually moved the camera toward the sky, most likely to avoid showing the aggressive actions of the demonstrators.  The entire video clip proves that these were not peaceful demonstrators as they taunt and shout an onslaught of hateful comments at the agents.  

Another video that appears on YouTube is also cleverly edited to avoid showing how the demonstrators were damaging the fence.  In the beginning of this video, you can see the demonstrators aggressively pushing against agents and refusing to move away from the fence.  You can hear agents repeatedly saying "Get back away from the fence" and "Get back!"   Then, at 52 seconds, you see Ruiz playing a drum and jumping up and down into a different agent.  The agent's hand is extended forward to hold back Ruiz, but Ruiz  jumps into his arm.  In response, the defense attorney for Ruiz said, "He clearly doesn't do anything threatening toward the agent.  He's sort of dancing with his head down, playing his drum."  One must assume that the defense attorney is attempting to make an argument that Ruiz did not see the agent since his head was down, but the video clearly shows the agent repeatedly push Ruiz back as Ruiz continually jumped/bounced into the agent.

It is readily apparent that the Border Patrol did not "indiscriminately shoot and beat peaceful demonstrators", as claimed on the activist's website.  These demonstrators were not peaceful.  They attempted to edit the videos to show the response by agents, but they failed to show the violent and aggressive behavior of the demonstrators on both sides of the border.  If the demonstrators are/were peaceful, then why did they refuse to move away from the fence, why did they throw bottles and other items at the agents, why did they shout such hateful comments at the agents, and why do so many of them cover their faces like terrorists or criminals? 

Local 1613 will continue to provide updates to this event on this page if and when any new information is made available.