Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Border & Immigration

Calls For Change On Border Patrol Practices Along U.S.-Canada Border

Calls For Change On Border Patrol Practices Along U.S.-Canada Border
The Immigration Policy Center claims Border Patrol agents are helping translate for local police as a pretext for deporting people.

A national organization is calling on the United States Customs and Border Patrol to limit its contact with local police along the U.S.-Canada border.

In a report this week, the Immigration Policy Center said that Border Patrol agents along the northern border are increasingly translating for local police at crime scenes, or by answering 911 calls when the caller doesn’t speak English, and even riding along with cops.

But Michele Waslin, the group’s policy analyst, said that "rather than simply interpreting, the Border Patrol agents have used these occasions to enforce immigration law, detaining and deporting individuals that they identify through this pretext of interpretation services.”

Advertisement

The group is calling on the Border Patrol to stop translating for police except in emergencies, and to stop using that as an opportunity to deport.

The Border Patrol would not address these claims directly, but in a vague statement, said:

“CBP is committed to carrying out its law enforcement mission in a manner that fully respects civil rights and liberties. As a law enforcement agency, CBP’s partners with other law enforcement agencies to provide support when needed in order to most effectively serve the communities in which they live.”