| | |  Americas & Beyond | October 2009 
US Frees Mexican Human Rights Advocate
 Alicia A. Caldwell - Associated Press
go to original
October 23, 2009
| | Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson | |
El Paso, Texas - Immigration authorities released a Mexican human rights official this week, after detaining him last week as an asylum seeker even though he had not sought U.S. protection, his attorney said.
Immigration agents stopped and interviewed Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson last Thursday as he crossed the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. During the interview, de la Rosa acknowledged that he feared for his life after reporting that some Mexican soldiers were violating human rights in a bloody war against powerful drug cartels in the city, said lawyer Carlos Spector.
Immigration officials said they detained him due to "mandatory detention provisions" for his safety. The U.S. government has decided to not pursue asylum for de la Rosa, Spector said Wednesday, adding that his client's tourist visa had been returned. De la Rosa says he has filed reports to Mexican military authorities detailing at least 170 cases of human rights abuses among soldiers patrolling the nearly lawless city. He said a man threatened him at gunpoint last month.
|
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us