OneAmerica and the UW Center for Human Rights have created an innovative, sustainable partnership to bring human rights tools to the communities of Washington State. Together, OneAmerica and CHR are systemically documenting patterns of abuses in the Northern Border between WA and Canada stemming from the dramatically increased presence of Border Patrol personnel in the area since 9/11. These abuses include the Border Patrol’s participation as a first responder for 911 calls, a routine practice in some WA counties. One case involved the shooting death of a mentally impaired man at the hands of Border Patrol agents who responded to a call for emergency assistance.

Both organizations published their report, “The Growing Crisis on the Northern Border”, in April 2012. The report, which details three patterns of concern along the northern border, includes OneAmerica’s policy recommendations and CHR’s analysis of the human rights implications of U.S. Border Patrol’s actions as reported to us through 109 on-the-ground interviews with residents of Snohomish, Whatcom, and Skagit counties.

OneAmerica subsequently advocated at the local and national level using recommendations from the report with the aim of achieving strategic policy at all levels pertaining to National Security and Border Patrol allocations, the increase of which have led to greater presence without adequate training along the border.

Read the full report.

Read the executive summary.