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Rights and Justice

Getting Away With Murder at the Border

Co-authored by Michelle Brané, Director, and Jennifer Podkul, Program Officer, Detention and Asylum

It's been two years since Sergio Hernandez-Gueraca was killed by Customs and Border Protection agents. In June 2010, as 15-year-old Sergio was attempting to cross into the United States, a confrontation between a smuggler and Border agent broke out. According to allegations made by the U.S. government, Sergio threw rocks at the agents from the Mexican side of the border. The agents responded by shooting and killing him.

This month, the Department of Justice closed the investigation into Sergio's death. After over a year of investigations involving the Inspector General, FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, the Justice Department declared that “there is insufficient evidence to pursue prosecution of the CBP [Customs and Border Protection] agent for a federal homicide offense.” In essence, authorities found that the agent acted consistently with U.S. policies regarding the use of force.

Read the full blog on the Huffington Post website.

Rights and Justice