A Border Patrol vehicle patrols the border between San Diego and Tijuana in this 2016 file photo. (Courtesy Photo by Donna Burton / U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez and teachers union leaders on Monday decried a border patrol agent’s entry last week to a charter bus with Las Cruces students on their way to a swim meet.
“We’re here to address an incident that should have never happened,” Vasquez, a Democrat whose district includes border communities in the southern portion of the state, said in a Zoom call with members of the press Monday afternoon. “It’s an incident that has rightfully raised serious concerns across New Mexico and beyond.”
The news conference followed an incident early Friday morning during which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers entered an unmarked charter bus carrying 10 students traveling to Albuquerque for a swim meet at the checkpoint outside of Las Cruces on Interstate 25.
Las Cruces High Swim coach Pamela Quiñones, who reportedly was on the bus, told independent journalist Heath Haussaman that an agent asked the driver in English shortly after 7 a.m. how many people were on the bus. The driver could not speak English.
“Without hesitation he jumped on the bus and didn’t ask the adults any more questions, Quiñones, whom Source could not reach for comment prior to publication, told Haussaman. “He just started walking in the bus and started yelling in Spanish, demanding documentation from all the passengers.”
Customs and Border Protection released a written statement that characterized inspections of charter buses as routine, saying “checkpoint inspections in the El Paso Sector play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of our nation’s borders. They are instrumental in deterring illegal immigration and ensuring that those traveling away from the border comply with immigration laws. By conducting these inspections, border patrol agents help safeguard the security and well-being of communities throughout the United States.”
When asked about Quiñones’ version of the incident, CBP spokesperson Landon Hutchens told Source NM, “there seemed to be some resistance or something like that” in response to the agent “conducting a routine inspection.” Hutchens did not respond to a question about whether the agent’s actions would prompt further investigation.
Kelley Jameson, a spokesperson for Las Cruces Public Schools, confirmed to Source NM that students from Las Cruces High School, Centennial High School and Mayfield High School were on the bus.
“Rather than de-escalating the situation, the agent boarded the bus, ignored attempts by coaches to explain the situation and demanded information from the students, leaving them rattled and shaken,” Vasquez said. “Let me be clear, harassing and frightening children does not make New Mexico safer.”
Vasquez sent a letter Monday to Secretary Kristi Noem, who heads the Department of Homeland Security, asking for an accounting of the incident and a written policy for how agents interact with minors. The letter noted that this was not the first problematic incident in New Mexico involving immigration officials, and referenced reported questioning of Native American tribal members by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
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“We want to prevent this from becoming the norm,” Vasquez said.
Members from teachers unions also condemned Border Patrol’s actions.
“Simply put, these students and their chaperones should never have been placed in this situation,” said Whitney Holland, the president of American Federation of Teachers in New Mexico.
“We need to leave the kids out of the politics,” National Education Association President Mary Parr-Sánchez told Source NM in a call Monday. “Kids need to be held harmless in the current environment.”
In multiple news releases about the incident, Las Cruces Public Schools cited a federal 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case that entitles all children, regardless of immigration status, to free public education.
Access to extracurricular activities is an important part of public education, Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ignacio Ruiz said Monday in a phone call with Source NM.
“It’s still an extension of the classroom, it’s an extension of the learning for our kids, just not necessarily in a physical classroom,” Ruiz said.
Nonetheless, Ruiz said he believes “this was an isolated incident,” after a meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Monday, and said that LCPS will work with the charter bus company to distinguish buses carrying children with magnetic decals and additional signs.
“Our priority is always to ensure that our kids’ safety and mental wellbeing is a priority; we don’t want kids to have to experience this,” Ruiz said. “Unfortunately, it happened once — we don’t want it to happen again.”