The non-lethal pepper balls being tested in San Diego will be offered to Border Patrol units nationwide if they are found to be effective
[Tucson Citizen, June 27, 2001] Tucson-area Border Patrol agents could be using a weapon designed to disable rather than kill if a pilot program under way in San Diego is successful.
The "pepper ball launchers" are designed to give agents an alternative to firearms in confrontations with illegal immigrants and smugglers, said James Jaques, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in San Diego.
The launchers are "dead-on accurate" from about 30 feet and have a range of about 100 feet, Jaques said. The rubber balls they fire are designed to break open on impact, spraying a pepper powder that irritates the eyes and lungs.
"Basically, it takes the fight out of a person," Jaques said.
Agents are assaulted daily in incidents ranging from rock throwing to "sniper-type" shootings, he said. In Tucson, Border Patrol agents reported 160 assaults last year, down from an all-time high of 198 the previous year.
The use of lethal force by agents against migrants has gained the attention of human rights advocates in Arizona in the wake of an accidental shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in March. The death of 22-year-old Roberto Chavez Resendiz prompted questions regarding the use of firearms by the Border Patrol.
Jesus Romo, a local lawyer and immigrant advocate, said he worries that the introduction of another weapon in the Border Patrol's arsenal, even a nonlethal one, would increase violence against migrants, including women and children.
"I just don't find the justification for the use of force, given the way migrants act," he said. "It's pretty much nonviolent and in obedience of the directives of the Border Patrol."
A year long pilot program has equipped the California agents with 45 of the devices. Since 1999 Border Patrol agents in San Diego have reported three fatal shootings that allegedly involved rock throwers attacking agents.
If the pepper ball launchers succeed in field tests, they will be offered to Border Patrol units throughout the United States.
The launchers gained national attention after they were used last year against demonstrators at the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle.
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[posted 7/10/01]
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