SAN YSIDRO, Calif. - Some local undocumented immigrants got into a scuffle with Customs and Border Protection agents Sunday at the San Ysidro Port of Entry -- a confrontation that was captured on cellphone video.
Members of the San Diego Dream Team, an immigrant rights group, told 10News they traveled to the San Ysidro Port of Entry to protest the "militarization of the border". It started as a regular protest with signs and chanting.
July 29, 2013
10news.com
However, a video given to 10News showed CBP and private security officers wrestling, pushing and yelling at and with protesters.
"They started to push us, to harass some of us, to drag some of us as well," said Carolina Valdivia, an undocumented immigrant who was at the protest.
"The fact that they treated us like we were scum just goes to show how our community goes on every single day here," said Alondra Garcia, a student who was at the protest.
The video shows protesters lying down on the ground inside a perimeter gate that has been set up outside the exit at the port of entry. It also shows agents and protesters yelling back and forth. Eventually, the gate is moved and agents wrestle it back into place.
Some protesters told 10News the agents were using the gate as weapon.
"I was about to be crushed, literally be crushed under this gate," said Garcia. "And if it wasn't for people pushing it back out of me, I most likely would have been crushed under it."
10News contacted the CBP for comment, and a spokeswoman emailed this statement:
[I]"Sunday, at the San Ysidro port of entry, a group of protestors gathered at the facility, in an area blocking the exit to the pedestrian building, and inside of the normal perimeter that is always maintained to allow travelers a path of egress from the building. These protestors did not request or obtain a permit required for access to the facility from the U.S. General Services Administration. To ensure the safety of the traveling public using the facility, the security of the border crossing, and the safety of the protesting crowd, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, and other personnel working at the border crossing, worked to re-establish and maintain the perimeter. CBP officers process an average of 35,000 travelers daily at this pedestrian facility alone, and must conduct themselves professionally at all times and under all conditions. If any person feels that they were treated unprofessionally during an interaction with a CBP officer, the agency welcomes them to report the incident. They can call 877-227-5511 or visit cbp.gov and use the 'Questions/Complaints' tab."
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