Border Patrol Probing Claim Papers Destroyed

The U.S. Border Patrol says it has launched an extensive investigation into allegations that a patrol agent destroyed the documentation of an amnesty applicant and forced her to return to Mexico--even though she was in the United States legally.

However, Dale Cozart, chief patrol agent in San Diego, said a full day of reviewing files and interviewing officers had failed to yield any information on the case of the the woman, Guadalupe Rodriguez Sanchez.

“We haven’t been able to uncover anything to indicate we’ve had any contact with this person,” said Cozart.

The investigation would continue today, he added.

Harold Ezell, regional commissioner for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, parent body of the Border Patrol, said he had ordered an inquiry by the INS’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the agency’s internal affairs unit.

“We’re on top of this,” said Ezell, who added that he hoped to have additional details today.

The inquiries were prompted by allegations made publicly Monday by Rodriguez Sanchez, a 26-year-old San Diego housekeeper and native of Mexico who applied for amnesty last year. In November, the INS issued her a temporary residence card, allowing her to remain in the United States legally for three years and qualifying her for future permanent legal U.S. residence.

However, on Jan. 11, she said, she was arrested by two Border Patrol agents in La Jolla. The agents told her the temporary residence card was no good and ripped it up, along with her driver’s license and other identification, Rodriguez Sanchez said.