SAN DIEGO, CA – The Southern Border Communities Coalition condemns the Department of Justice decision not to prosecute the Border Patrol agent responsible for killing 15 year-old Ciudad Juarez resident Sergio Adrián Hernández Güereca. The violent incident was caught on video by bystanders and sent shockwaves across the borderlands on June 7, 2010. As Sergio Adrián stood on Mexican soil under the international bridge that joins Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, unarmed and posing no immediate threat to the agent’s safety, he was shot in the face and killed.
“This is a clear case of justice denied. Killing a teenage boy across the international border was a grossly disproportionate use of force by Border Patrol,” states Christian Ramirez, Director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition.
Vicki Gaubeca of the ACLU of New Mexico adds, “The force used in this case by Border Patrol violates international standards that compel law enforcement to shoot to kill only as a last resort. Our hearts go out to the Hérnandez Güereca family and the El Paso – Ciudad Juarez community.”
The Southern Border Communities Coalition calls for the United States Congress to conduct an urgent review of the use of force by Border Patrol.
Since 2010 Border Patrol agents have killed at least 8 border residents, not a single Border Patrol agent has been prosecuted.
Contact: Ricardo Favela (760) 659-3620 ricardo@equalitysandiego.org
