An Ignoble Experiment

2. Border Patrol agents hardly ever punished following abuse allegations

Although Boko Haram has targeted schoolchildren before – and since – they kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in April in northern Nigeria, the scale of that attack could backfire against the terrorist group.

The group's many attacks against children include one in February, where militants killed dozens of boys at a school, as well as the abduction of eight girls May 4.

But the abduction of more than 230 schoolgirls in April was unprecedented, said Amy Pate, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

Perhaps the closest an insurgent group had come to that scale was in 1996, when the Lord's Resistance Army abducted 139 schoolgirls in Uganda.

The sheer number of victims could wind up hurting Boko Haram in a few ways.

It's possible that some dissent could brew among members of the group who conclude that it was a tactical error to kidnap so many children, since the attack provoked a far greater international response than any of Boko Haram's other attacks on children.

The group now also has the burden of holding onto its hundreds of victims.

"That's a logistical nightmare for a group like Boko Haram that partially depends on its ability to be very mobile and agile and able to melt into the woodwork," Pate said in a telephone interview.

That might explain the low price Boko Haram has sought to sell the girls into slavery or forced marriages, reportedly $12. A prolonged hostage situation would require the group to keep overseeing its victims, but a low price could take them of its hands quickly.

While terrorist groups have commonly turned to kidnappings and hostage-taking as a source of revenue, Pate said that's not the motivation in this case, as evidenced by the mere $12 selling price. The group's objective was apparently to send a message that women should not be educated.

Read more about: counterterrorism, Boko Haram
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By Zach Rausnitz

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3. Feds to school districts: No barriers for enrolling undocumented children

Hundreds of complaints of abuse by Border Patrol agents resulted in almost no action, according to data obtained by the American Immigration Council.

After filing a Freedom of Information Act request, the advocacy group received data on 809 abuse complaints filed against Border Patrol agents from January 2009 to January 2012. Forty percent of the cases were still pending investigation when Customs and Border Protection produced the data.

But of the 485 cases that were completed, the Border Patrol took no action in 472 of them – or 97 percent.

In the other 13 cases, Border Patrol personnel mainly received either counseling, an oral reprimand or a written report. One individual was suspended.

Nearly all of the alleged perpetrators of abuse were Border Patrol agents, though 3 percent were supervisors.

Forty percent of the complaints were classified as physical abuse, and another 38 percent were excessive use of force. Additional complaints cited sexual and verbal abuse.

The American Immigration Council also analyzed the number of abuse complaints per 100,000 apprehensions in each of the Border Patrol's geographic sectors. The Del Rio sector in Texas had the highest rate, with 116.7 complaints per 100,000 apprehensions.

The Rio Grande Valley, San Diego and El Paso sectors had the next three highest rates. Four sectors had fewer than 70 complaints per 100,000 apprehensions, with the lowest rate occurring in the El Centro sector in California – where there were 41.4 complaints per 100,000 apprehensions.

In its report (pdf), the council says the alleged abuse may be tied to the surge in Border Patrol agents since the 1990s.

"The ramping up of hires, possibly coupled with reduced or inadequate training and experience, may have resulted in the presence of agents who do not have the skills to deal appropriately with people in stressful situations," it says.

For more:
- download the report, No Action Taken: Lack of CBP Accountability in Responding to Complaints of Abuse (pdf)

Read more about: CBP, American Immigration Council
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By Zach Rausnitz

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4. For solution to Mexico violence, report seeks comparable cases

School districts can't ask students for proof of citizenship or immigration status, the Justice and Education departments say in a letter to the nation's school districts.

Under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, states may not deny undocumented children access to public education. The letter (pdf) instructs school districts to review the list of documents they allow for students to establish residency, to make sure that what's required "would not unlawfully bar or discourage a student who is undocumented or whose parents are undocumented from enrolling."

Families commonly use lease agreements or utility bills to establish their residency in a district.

The letter also says school districts can't require students to show birth certificates as a condition for enrollment.

Additionally, if a district requests Social Security numbers from students, they have to note that disclosure is voluntary, and they may not forbid students from enrolling if they don't provide a number.

The DOJ and Education Department jointly spelled out requirements (pdf) in May 2011 regarding the education rights of all children residing in a school district, regardless of their immigration status. The new letter is a response to inquiries that the departments received in the three years since.

For more:
- download the letter (pdf)

Read more about: illegal immigration, DOJ
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By Zach Rausnitz

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