By Michael Cowles
, 2010 summer intern Last week, another person was killed on the U.S.-Mexico border, this time a 15-year-old child. The incident arose after a group started throwing rocks (a common occurrence on the border) at a Border Patrol agent who was apprehending an individual suspected of trying to cross the border illegally. "Since biblical times, rocks have been used as a crude but effective weapon to injure and kill humans,” the National Border Patrol Council said, in defense of the Border Patrol agent’s actions. It wasn’t the rocks, however, that proved deadly. The situation instead escalated when the agent, unharmed, opened fire on the group of rock throwers and struck Sergio Adrian Hernandez Güereca in the head, killing him. The border agent was “not trained, nor paid to withstand violent assaults” without the ability to “defend” himself, the union said. However, a video has already emerged that cast serious doubt on the validity of the agent’s version of events. Training of Border Patrol Agents Four years ago, in the shadow of anti-immigrant demonstrations and legislation introduced in Congress, the Bush administration engaged in a flurry of hiring of new Border Patrol agents. In order to accomplish this rash of new hires, the agency lowered its hiring standards and training practices, a move that was even criticized by the Border Patrol’s union at the time. A video of the most recent incident, taken by a bystander on a camera phone, raises serious questions about whether insufficient training was at the heart of this shooting. At no point in the video does the agent appear to make an attempt to distance himself from the group. Soon after the group began throwing rocks, the agent can be seen firing two bullets at Güereca and the others as they ran away from him. The agent then waited for several seconds and fired a third bullet. It was one of these bullets which killed 15-year-old Güereca. Accountability for Agents Who Break the Law As important as proper training is ensuring that agents are held accountable if they act dangerously and/or illegally. While this latest incident has caused outrage in Mexico, groups like the Border Patrol union have already begun to diminish the incident or dismiss it outright (the Border Patrol union says Güereca’s death was due “solely to his decision to pick up a rock”). While it is premature to judge the legality of the agent’s action, it is clear that this incident requires a full and transparent investigation by the US government. This investigation takes on particular importance and urgency following President Obama’s recent announcement that he plans to send an additional 1,200 National Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border. Breaking the Pattern Meanwhile, there is an ever increasing body count of Mexican nationals along the border. Only two weeks ago, a 32-year-old man died after being Tasered by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. His death was ruled a homicide by the San Diego coroner. In this year alone, there have been 17 incidents of people being injured or killed by Border Patrol agents, already higher than last year and double the count from 2008. When this spike in violence will end depends largely on how the Obama administration responds to the increasingly evident need for better training of Border Patrol agents and accountability when things go wrong. In Güereca’s case, there must be a full investigation. If the agent is found to have acted negligently, used excessive force, or committed a criminal homicide, he should be held to account. The safety and security of our borders cannot be ensured unless there exists properly trained agents who both ensure and abide by the rule of law.