U.S. District Judge Sets Dangerous Precedent By Dismissing Lawsuit In The Border Patrol Killing Of A Juarez Teen

Let it be known to all in the U.S. that killing citizens of other countries is legal, so long as the victim dies on foreign soil.

The decision of Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones to dismiss a $25 million suit against the U.S. filed by the family of a 15-year-old Juárez boy who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on the Rio Grande sets a dangerous precedent for a border already plagued by violence.

According to the El Paso Times, the ruling says that because the boy died in Mexico, there are no statutes that apply to sue the U.S. government.

The shooting was caught on video and viewed all over the world. And an FBI investigation is still pending. The killing set off a firestorm of protest from civil and human rights advocates, including BNHR.

“This was a very unfortunate decision by the District Judge. The main argument of the ruling sets a precedent of impunity and a possible gross violation of international law. It tells our communities that border residents or migrants could be killed by a U.S. border enforcement agent with no judicial consequences,” said Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of BNHR. “It is a sad day for justice.”

The killing of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Güereca will no doubt go down in history as an egregious human rights violation, especially after the decision made by Judge Briones.