SAN YSIDRO.- About 50 people gathered at the port of entry to protest the recent shooting death of a Mexican man by the U.S. Border Patrol and to question the agency's policies.
They held a vigil Friday evening to condemn the death of José Yañez Reyes – and there's no doubt their message was received by their intended audience.
Three Border Patrol agents observed the protest, videotaping it from the old pedestrian bridge on top of Puerta México.
The group directed its slogans toward the agents, with messages such as, "We're all José Reyes."
"You put on a uniform and have a weapon and think you can kill us!," shouted one of the demonstrators.
The event began a little after 6 p.m. near the pedestrian bridge at San Ysidro. Afterward, the protesters crossed the bridge, displaying their signs to the traffic flowing below toward Tijuana.
Some drivers sounded their horns in support.
The signs had messages such as, "No more deaths," "One stone against a gun Who wins?"
Tijuana resident Yáñez Reyes, 40, was fatally shot on June 21, after he threw rocks toward Border Patrol agents, who were trying to detain two Mexicans who had illegally crossed the border fence.
"It does not matter how you want to justify it, a stone will never compare to a bullet," said David Gómez, a San Ysidro resident who participated in the protest.
The death has re-ignited criticism about how the Border Patrol responds to threats, such as rock-throwers.
"A stone does not travel the distance that a bullet does; there's not need to use firearms, it's inhumane," added Gómez, a student from Southwestern College.
According to the Coalition for Immigrants' Rights, the Border Patrol has killed six Mexicans in the last few years.
"The border is becoming extremely violent," said another protester, Jill Holslin, who said she has been an activist for three years and is a member of the Friendship Park Committee. The Border Patrol "is promoting a cowboys' mentality to shoot first and think afterward and this crushes human lives."
Friday evening's protest echoed a similar one at the same location on May 27.
On that evening, the demonstrators were demanding justice for the death of Anastasio Hernández, who died after he was beaten by Border Patrol agents who were trying to deport him last year.
"The best proof that these cases continue is that we were here a month ago talking about Anastasio and here we are again," said Gómez. "We have not seen any justice for Anastasio or for any Mexican who has been murdered on this border."
As is customary, the Border Patrol has not commented on the most recent death, only saying that it remains under investigation by the San Diego Police Department and the FBI.
The day after the shooting, the police department issued a statement about the circumstances that led to the shooting. According to it, the evening of June 21 a Border Patrol agent observed three people attempting to cross illegally in the area west of the port of entry.
He requested assistance and other agents arrived who captured one of the men while the other two ran back to Mexican territory.
Yáñez Reyes began to throw rocks and a piece of wood with a nail in it, which struck one of the agents, according to the statement. That's when another agent opened fire, striking the man in the face and killing him.
For his part, long-time activist Enrique Morones, of the group Ángeles de la Frontera, demanded that the Mexican government take a stronger role in clarifying what happened to the Yáñez Reyes.
He noted that when Border Patrol agents Jaime Zapata and Robert Roses were killed in San
Luis Potosí and San Diego, respectively, Mexican authorities acted quickly under pressure from the United States and immediately identified the killers.
"Why isn't this case the same? Mexican authorities should also demand justice," Morones said.
He said that although the actions of Yañez Reyes were illegal, that does not justify the Border Patrol's response.
"There's nothing confirmed, independently, nothing justifies how the Border Patrol acted," he concluded.
Alexandra.mendoza@sandiegored.com
