Immigrant advocates are complaining about U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ actions toward residents along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso and New Mexico.
A coalition of advocacy groups said Tuesday that they filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security saying at least 13 residents have experienced abuse, including that officers falsely accused them of being prostitutes and seized their legal documents for no reason.
The complaint says the officers have harassed border crossers who have legal documents and threatened retaliation when the residents promised to file complaints.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights and other groups in New Mexico and Texas want the allegations investigated.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General did not immediately respond to an email.
