Policing the INS

In its long history in the Mexican border region, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has often been the target of misconduct accusations. To its credit, the agency has acknowledged mistreatment of illegal immigrants and promised improved performance, most recently by embracing recommendations of a 1994 citizen advisory panel and guidelines developed last year.

This progress makes all the more surprising Amnesty International’s recent reports of continued widespread mistreatment of Mexicans along the border with the United States. The human rights organization writes of beatings, sexual assaults and denial of food, water, blankets and medical attention to immigrants by INS agents.

The allegations are not from firsthand accounts but instead come from press reports, immigrant rights groups and other human rights organizations. Without follow-up, it is hard to assess the depth and range of the problem and whether corrective action has taken place. The Amnesty International reports have made first and useful steps in compiling reported evidence. This work should be followed up by independent investigators on both sides of the border.