Mexican activist in U.S. custody

By Aileen B. Flores / El Paso Times

EL PASO -- A Chihuahua state human-rights investigator who said that he has evidence of Mexican army abuses in the battle to control violence there is in the custody of U.S. government, a spokeswoman with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday.
Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson was taken into custody Thursday night by Customs and Border Protection agents who apparently want him to seek political asylum for his safety, a highly unusual move, his lawyer, Carlos Spector, said Friday.
Two weeks ago, Hickerson said he could document 170 instances in which Mexican soldiers extorted, kidnapped, tortured, beat or killed innocent people while deployed in the state of Chihuahua to control the violence that has gripped the state since 2008.
Hickerson also said none of those cases were being prosecuted by the Mexican government, and he added that he was afraid for his safety and that of his family.
ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa did not indicate why he was in custody or whether he was seeking asylum in the U.S.
"Due to policies designed to protect the right of certain noncitizens and nonnationals of the United States, ICE generally refrains from public comment on the status of individuals or their cases," Zamarripa wrote in a statement.
Spector said his client was crossing at the Santa Fe Port of Entry on Thursday night to visit friends in El Paso when Customs and Border Protection officers recognized him as a human-rights activist and questioned him.
Spector said CBP officers asked Hickerson about his fears in Mexico because of his work on the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission. Spector said Hickerson told the agents that he was afraid but that he did not want asylum.
Spector said he spoke with CBP officials, who told him the agency's policy was to conduct a "credible fear interview" when an immigrant tells agents that he is afraid for his safety.
Spector said his client has violated no law and it seems as if federal officials want him to seek political asylum and then later deny it.
"It just doesn't make any sense the only humanitarian act DHS has is to lock up people," Spector said.
"He didn't want political asylum," Spector said. "He wants to continue working for the Human Rights Commission."
Spector said he visited Hickerson on Friday afternoon at the El Paso Processing Center at Montana and Hawkins, where he was waiting for officials from Houston to interview him.
"He's frustrated and a little depressed," Spector said. He added that he did not know when Hickerson may be released. "It could be months," he said.
Hickerson has worked for the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission for more than four years and has been an advocate for human rights for 37 years.
Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com;546-6362.


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