Justin Akers

Current U.S. Border Patrol strategies create deadly and torturous situations for migrant workers, Justin Akers argues in the following viewpoint. Operation Gatekeeper and similar approaches to reducing illegal immigration place extra police and Border Patrol agents along commonly traveled migrant corridors; in addition, new fences, canals, sensors, and lights have been installed at traditional crossing routes. To avoid being caught, undocumented migrants have started crossing the border in rugged desert and mountain regions where they risk death from exposure to extreme heat or cold. Moreover, Akers reports, illegal immigrants have encountered human rights abuses—including beatings, sexual abuse, and medical neglect—while being detained by the Border Patrol. Akers is a member of the International Socialist Organization in San Diego, California.

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