SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Several migrants, including Katerine from Ecuador, have told Border Report they were groped, fondled and robbed by members of Mexico’s National Guard when they attempted to cross the border in the mountains east of San Diego.
Katerine said she was part of a group of seven migrants that soldiers stopped as they made their way toward the border barrier.
She said the women were separated from the men and driven to an isolated spot where they were subjected to bodily searches.
“They don’t respect anything, they stick their hands everywhere,” Katerine said in Spanish. “They asked for $2,500 per person, they told us as migrants, we would have to work to get access to the border.”
Other migrants have shared similar stories, including a group of Peruvians who crossed the border a few weeks ago near Campo, California.
They said soldiers asked them for $800 a piece and when they couldn’t come up with the money, the soldiers took their cellphones, watches, jewelry and even a pair of shoes.
One migrant went as far as to say, “the National Guard in Mexico is worse and more dangerous than the smugglers.”
Border Report has made repeated attempts to talk to SEDENA, Mexico’s Secretary of Defense in charge of the soldiers, but our questions about the allegations have gone unanswered.
Earlier this year, the head of Baja California’s Lawyers Bar Association said members of Mexico’s National Guard are accused of human rights and civil rights violations more than any other police agency in the state.
He also said the soldiers need to undergo training to learn how to deal with the public.
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