Hey YouTube, Jim here! Welcome to Top 10 Archive! Despite being almost 2,000 miles long,
the US-Mexico border only touches 4 states. If you live anywhere else in the country,
you might picture it as a regular checkpoint. That’s one side of it, but there are plenty of
scary facts about the US-Mexico border that you probably didn’t know - which is today's
topic for discussion! 10. La Bestia
There’s something scarier and more deadly on the Mexican border than just the chupacabras.
A beast that kills people every day, a real one, I say! So, what is this monster? La Bestia,
which translates literally to “The Beast”, is the freight train that crosses Mexico.
There are no passengers on it except those that jump on the rail cars.
Not only does La Bestia go super fast, but it also often derails and stops for no one. Thousands die
trying to get on and off all the time. 9. The Children’s Holding Facilities
Many are enthusiastic about holding anyone that crosses the US-Mexico border in custody,
but how many truly know what the conditions are like in these holding facilities? A group of
reporters was sent into them this year in Donna, Texas, to find children in overcrowded cells and
their legal processes entirely stalled. Some were in “play pens” or cages under foil blankets. Not
to mention, this is all during a pandemic, when social distancing is said to help stop the spread
of the virus. Though it was designed for 250 people to be held at one time, reporters found
that at peak occupancy it held around 4,000. 8. Lightning
They say you’re just as likely to get struck by lightning as you are to win the lottery. Southern
Arizona locals will tell you that during monsoon season, that’s not quite the case. In fact,
the World Health Organization reports that Mexico has more lightning strike deaths than any other
country, killing about 223 people every year. In 2006, a border patrol agent was responding
to a report of a car accident with his partner when they were both sent flying into the air.
He experienced heat and pain in his abdomen and it took a while for him to realize they’d been struck
by lightning. They weren’t the first or the last, and sadly, many of the victims don’t survive.
7. Sexual Assault As if the trip across the border wasn’t dangerous
enough already, with La Bestia, smugglers, and border agents who often shoot to kill,
it’s reported that 80% of women also suffer sexual assault on their journey. Possibly the most
shocking part is that it’s so normalized that women take birth control before and during their
journey to prevent unwanted pregnancies from rape. 6. Abductions
The National Human Rights Commission in Mexico published a report on immigrant abductions and
kidnappings that shocked the community. Since victims leave home and their families don’t expect
to hear from them until they’ve crossed, long gaps in communication are expected.
This is a great opportunity for abductions and there are definitely those who take advantage.
So, what’s the report say? Between April and September 2010, in just 6 months, the reported
number of abduction victims was 11,333. Many of these victims are women and children, and end up
in sex work, slavery, or held ransom and killed. 5. Mass graves and cartels
This one seems pulled directly from a Breaking Bad episode. In 2010, 72
Central and South American migrants were found in a mass grave, with signs of torture and an
execution shot to the back of the head. Of the group, three survived after faking their deaths.
They told their story that otherwise would have been buried in that mass grave. As it turns out,
the migrants had refused to work for the drug cartel Los Zetas, and, having no way to pay a
ransom, were killed. If there’s anything we’ve learned is that to be a migrant on the US-Mexico
border is the most dangerous position to be in, regardless of which side of the country you’re on.
4. Locked in cells to die Regardless of anyone’s immigration status,
their human rights remain valid in custody. This means that they have the right to see a doctor
if they are ill, the right to food and water, among other things. In Border Patrol facilities,
these rights are often ignored, as is the case of Carlos Gregorio Hernandez,
who was diagnosed with the flu and had a fever of 103 degrees. For any child in a loving home,
that’s a sign to go to the emergency room. Instead, he was placed in a cell with another boy,
also ill, to be monitored for improvement. The video shows he spent 25 minutes on the ground,
trying to get to the toilet, and died in that position.
Officers claim they checked on him, but the video proves otherwise. Carlos was just 16 years old.
3. Children Murders Of course, it’s not
just in facilities that children die. Take a look at the case of Sergio Hernandez Guereca,
and his friends. They were teenage boys who were, boys being boys, acting out against authority. In
June of 2010, they started running across a shallow concrete riverbed of the Rio Grande,
marking the border between the US and Mexico. An agent quickly came forward to try to deter
them. A few ran back, leaving just one boy who was detained. The others started throwing rocks
at the officer from across the border, standing now in Mexico, in a feeble attempt to get their
friend back. The agent pointed the gun at the boys and shot Sergio to death from across the border.
2. Contraband Border agents are given a few more rights to
travelers’ bodies than, say, TSA. No warrant is necessary if they suspect that you have contraband
on or in you. This leniency has led to several lawsuits against the agency, including that of
Ashley Cervantes, who was returning to Nogales on foot legally, and was accused of smuggling.
What followed is shocking, even for this list. They handcuffed the 19-year-old woman to a chair,
checked her with drug-sniffing dogs, and ordered her to undress and squat to be checked by an
investigator. Then they moved her to a hospital to be probed forcefully in her genitals and anus.
She’s not the only one, either. Another woman, who kept her identity anonymous,
was not only held and examined the same way, but then also charged $5,000 for the medical bills.
These cases, and many others, performed on both men and women, resulted in no contraband at all.
1. Vigilantes As if the official
border patrol weren’t savage enough, some local vigilantes have, in the past, taken
“border justice” into their own hands. In 2002, 12 immigrants were crossing illegally
waiting for smugglers when two men appeared in camouflage, shooting them all to death.
In recent times, there seems to be a growing trend of “citizen border patrol” hunting migrants.
While some are organized crime, others are as clear as the 76-year-old rancher
who shot an immigrant asking for water, and was fined only $4,000 and given a misdemeanor.
Thanks for watching! Illegal crossings, even for supposedly the best of reasons, into the United
States is a dangerous and heart-rending problem from both sides of the border.
What do you think about the problem? Let us know in the comments. We’d appreciate
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