Human Rights and the Border Wall
October 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
An international commission on human rights is in Texas today taking a closer look at the border wall and at immigrant detainee rights. Lawyers from the commission are speaking with former detainees from the Hutto immigration facility and other immigration detention facilities. They will also visit Brownsville and other parts of the Rio Grande Valley tomorrow to speak with landowners, lawyers, and UT Brownsville faculty about the border wall.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the commission is appointed by the general assembly of the Organization of the American States. The OAS is an international body, similar to the United Nations, that is comprised of 35 members states from North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. Created in 1959, their headquarters are based in Washington D.C., and in Cost Rica. Every four years, seven international experts on human rights issues from the member states are appointed to serve on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The commission examines and monitors allegations of human rights abuses by its member states, including the United States. The commission has investigated some of the worst human rights abuses in the Americas, including the Plan de Sanchez massacre of 250 villagers in Guatemala, and the murders of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez.
Denise Gilman, a clinical professor at the University of Texas Immigration Law Clinic requested in August that the commission conduct a hearing on human rights abuses and the border wall. The hearing will be held in Washington D.C. on October 22nd. Gilman and others will attend the hearing along with landowners affected by the border wall. The commission will also ask that a high ranking official from Department of Homeland Security attend the hearing.
The UT law clinic and other legal groups also asked the commission to hold a hearing on immigrant detainee rights. The hearing will be held in Washington D.C., on October 28th.
Interestingly, Gilman says commissioners had planned to visit Texas to tour some of the detainee facilities in Raymondville. The State Department, however, told the commissioners that it wanted the name of every detainee they spoke with. “There was concern about reprisals against the detainees,” Gilman says. So commissioners decided they would not visit the facilities and jeopardize detainees. Instead the UT law clinic is setting up interviews between two staff attorneys from the commission and former detainees from the Hutto facility and other detention facilities in Central Texas.
While the commission may not force a change in Homeland Security’s policies toward the border wall and immigration detainee rights, Gilman hopes it can enrich the immigration debate in the United States. “They bring a unique perspective and look at immigration and the border wall issues from a rule of law and compliance with international norms on human rights,” she says.
Ultimately, Gilman hopes that during an increasingly negative election season in which immigration reform has so far not been a major issue, the commission can help inform candidates about immigration and human rights concerns. “I’m hopeful that this might help frame the issue for the next presidential administration,” she says.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
There are bigger issues to the whole Border wall issue. Problems with defining Texas History according to a Colonial Mentality of Texans. The Historical facts of how the brown people as well played a major role in the Texas Independence. How the Carrizo/Comecrudo Indians of South Texas fought for the Texians in 1836. Only to refuted a part of Texas and of History.
You have too almost go and labor with difficult to fine the truths of a History told from colonizer mentality. There are 3 federally recognized tribes in Texas but none of them are indigenous to Texas prior to the 1600’s the Tiguas who were moved in El Paso as servants of Spanairds. The Kickapoo who came into South Texas and Northeastern Mexico around the mid 1850’s, and the Alabama-Coushatta who were part of the Trail Tears and migrated from what is now Louisana and Alabama.
The reason for the wall is to continue to substantiate the lack of Indians in Texas by Texans and a Texas President. Bush as Mirabeau Lamar both denied the existance to Indians in Texas. The abolishment of the State Indian Commission by Governor Clements augmented and gave credibility to the no Indians in Texas Mentaliy.
Out of Sight, Out of mind mentality is practiced even today by State and State Federal politicians. The shutting down of Tigua and Alabama-Coushatta Casinos were attacks on the “No Indians in Texas Mentality”.
There have been at least 7 groups that have applied for Federal Recognition and only three of those have linear descendancy to Texas Tribes. The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, American Indians of Texas of the Spanish Colonial Missions, and The Lipan Band of Texas are more likely to show more evidence to cultural affiliation and linear descendancy.
To the Carrizo/Comecrudo the Rio Grande was a very sacred river. The Witte Museum holds hostage the ancestral remains of Carrizo/Comecrudo people from Seminole Canyon and the White Shaman site.
Contact me for more historical documents that have been covered up by the State of Texas.
onebigjuan@yahoo.com
Juan B. Mancias
October 4th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Me pregunto por que la Comision de los Derechos Humanos no dicen nada acerca de las redadas de Inmigracion que se repite abusivamente y separan ninos americanos de sus padres indocumentados? Por que se les pone a los indocumentados los grilletes electronicos? esto y muchas cosas mas sobre abuso al ser humano son ejecutados en America donde se dice que somos libres y protejidos por una Constitucion que no cubre a todos los inmigrantes.
Si los indocumentados son deportados por que no se les devuelve sus contribuciones al Seguro Social, Medicare, impuestos locales y Estatales que se les descuenta semanalmente? Por que nuestras leyes no se renuevan mas seguido a fin de cubrir todo estos abusos laborales que se comete en nuestro pais americano?