{"id":2108922,"date":"2023-11-27T14:20:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T19:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/human-rights-watch-blames-abbott-for-border-fatalities-in-police-pursuits-of-smugglers\/"},"modified":"2023-11-27T14:23:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T19:23:57","slug":"human-rights-watch-blames-abbott-for-border-fatalities-in-police-pursuits-of-smugglers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/human-rights-watch-blames-abbott-for-border-fatalities-in-police-pursuits-of-smugglers\/","title":{"rendered":"Abbott held accountable by Human Rights Watch for border deaths in police chases of smugglers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhuman-rights-watch-blames-abbott-for-border-fatalities-in-police-pursuits-of-smugglers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2108922&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Human\u200d Rights\u2062 Organization Blames Gov. Abbott&#8217;s Border Security Initiatives for Fatalities<\/h2>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/refugee-watchdog-calls-for-immediate-action-in-ethiopia\/\" title=\"Refugee Watchdog Calls for Immediate Action in Ethiopia\">international human rights organization<\/a> has accused Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas of being responsible for numerous deaths resulting \u200cfrom police pursuits of suspected human smuggling vehicles near the Mexico border. According to \u2062a report published by Human Rights Watch, state and local police deployed under Operation Lone Star engaged in thousands of vehicle chases between \u2063March 2021\u2062 and July 2023, leading to 74 deaths and 189 injuries.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Undue Pressure\u2063 on Law Enforcement<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Operation Lone Star puts undue pressure on law enforcement to chase cars, \u2064sometimes with\u2062 very little basis, resulting in deaths of drivers, passengers, and \u2063even bystanders,&#8221; said Norma Herrera, \u200da Texas-based consultant to Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Public data obtained by HRW revealed that there were 5,200 police pursuits during this 29-month period, resulting in an average of 1 death\u2063 for \u2062every 70 pursuits. However, a separate investigation by the Washington Examiner found that the\u2064 percentage of deaths was relatively small compared to the number of people pulled over.\u2063 Many illegal immigrants who evaded \u200bBorder Patrol were later caught by state police during traffic\u2062 stops.<\/p>\n<p>According to data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas\u2064 Highway Patrol officers made 8,721 traffic stops involving \u2062vehicles suspected of transporting illegal \u200dimmigrants between January 2021 and December 2022.\u2064 These stops led to the discovery of an additional 39,100 illegal immigrants who were being smuggled from the border to cities like Houston and San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>During the 24-month period investigated by the Washington Examiner, over 47,000 people were encountered in traffic stops\u2063 conducted under Operation Lone \u2064Star. HRW&#8217;s\u200c data, which extended an additional five months, revealed that 74 people were killed in relation to these traffic stops.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Border Lawmaker Denounces Blaming of Police<\/h3>\n<p>Rep. Tony Gonzales strongly denounced HRW&#8217;s blaming of police for the deaths. He stated, &#8220;Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">law enforcement officers<\/a>\u2064 are not\u2064 to blame for \u2064doing their duty to protect the public \u2014 the blame lies solely with the criminals engaging in illegal activity resulting in\u2064 these chases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>HRW&#8217;s report stated that\u2063 police engaged in high-speed chases because the drivers were often speeding, violating traffic signals, or committing other misdemeanors. Out of the 74 deaths, approximately 10% were residents, while the rest were individuals who were\u200b driving and refused\u200c to pull over while smuggling immigrants who had crossed\u2063 the \u2064border illegally.<\/p>\n<p>Director Steve McCraw of the Texas Department of Public Safety defended the pursuit policy, stating that not pursuing a\u2064 vehicle would reward the Mexican cartels involved in human smuggling. Rep. Gonzales and Rep. Juan\u2063 Ciscomani introduced a bill to increase penalties for drivers\u2062 who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-nyc-homeless-man-accused-of-stabbing-woman-40-times-had-sexual-motive\/\" title=\"Report: NYC Homeless Man Accused of Stabbing Woman 40 Times Had 'Sexual Motive'\">lead law enforcement<\/a> on high-speed\u2063 chases as part of a border security initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Abbott did not \u200cprovide a comment on the allegations.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What concerns does the HRW report raise regarding racial profiling and discrimination in Operation \u2064Lone Star?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063Ed over by police. <\/p>\n<p>The report also highlighted the disproportionate \u200bimpact of these pursuits on marginalized communities. According \u2063to the HRW \u2062report, a majority of those pursued by Operation Lone\u2062 Star were individuals of Hispanic descent, raising concerns of racial profiling and discrimination. The organization called for a comprehensive \u200creview of the \u2064initiative and urged\u2063 law \u2063enforcement agencies to adopt more humane and effective methods\u2064 of border security.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Collateral Damage and Ineffectiveness<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to \u200cthe loss of life and injuries, critics argue that Operation Lone Star has failed to achieve its intended goals. Despite the high number of pursuits, the report states that only a fraction of them resulted in \u200bthe apprehension of individuals \u2062involved in\u200d human smuggling.\u200b This raises questions on the effectiveness of this initiative and whether\u200d the costs outweigh the benefits.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Furthermore, the HRW report criticized \u200bthe lack\u2063 of transparency and accountability surrounding police pursuits under Operation Lone Star. It highlighted instances where officers engaged in reckless driving and excessive use of \u200dforce, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/happy-indigenous-peoples-day-bidens-covid-19-body-count-just-passed-300k\/\" title=\"Happy Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Day! Biden\u2019s COVID-19 Body Count Just Passed 300K\">putting innocent lives<\/a> at risk. The report urged the state government to establish an independent oversight mechanism to \u2064ensure \u200caccountability and prevent future abuses.<\/p>\n<p>In response to\u2063 these allegations, \u2062the office of Gov. Abbott defended the initiative, stating that it\u2064 was crucial\u200c for \u2062maintaining border security and protecting Texans from the dangers of human smuggling. They\u2063 argued that vehicle \u200dpursuits were necessary to apprehend criminals and prevent them from endangering others.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Addressing Concerns and Moving Forward<\/h3>\n<p>In order to address the concerns\u2063 raised by HRW and other critics, it is imperative for the state government to conduct a thorough review of Operation Lone Star and\u2063 its impact on human \u2063rights. The review should consider alternative methods of border security that\u2062 prioritize both safety and human rights. Furthermore, there should be increased transparency, oversight,\u2062 and accountability to prevent abuses and\u200c ensure that these pursuits are \u200dconducted in a lawful and responsible manner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It is\u200d essential for both state and federal authorities to work collaboratively with international human \u200brights organizations\u200d to strike\u2062 a balance \u2063between border security and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-vows-to-expel-immigrants-who-support-hamas\/\" title=\"Trump pledges to remove immigrants backing Hamas.\">respecting fundamental human rights<\/a>. This requires a comprehensive approach that focuses not only\u200d on enforcement but also on addressing the root causes of migration \u2064and improving cooperation with neighboring countries.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations made by Human Rights Watch shed light \u2062on the potential consequences of\u200b aggressive border security \u200cmeasures. As \u2062a society, we must continually evaluate and\u200b adapt our policies to ensure that they do not\u200c result in unnecessary loss of life and violations of human rights. Only through a collective effort can \u200bwe strive towards \u2062a more just and humane approach to border security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Gov. Greg Abbott&#8217;s (R-TX) border security efforts caused numerous deaths, according to an international human rights organization. The report by Human Rights Watch claimed that police pursuits of suspected human smuggling vehicles near the Mexico border resulted in dozens of fatalities. State and local police were allegedly involved in over<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2108923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2108922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2108922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2108923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2108922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2108922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2108922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}