Border Patrol agent killed Uvalde shooter, but special unit has recent history of excessive force
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Border-Patrol-agent-shot-Uvlade-school-shooter-17197813.php
By Steven Santana
MySanAntonio
May 25, 2022
Multiple outlets are reporting that a Border Patrol agent shot and killed the Uvalde shooter Tuesday. That agent was reportedly part of an elite militarized unit. ~
Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images
Multiple outlets are reporting that a Border Patrol agent part of a special unit rushed in to Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, May 24, to shoot and kill the 18-year-old shooter that killed 19 children and two teachers. That same special unit has recently been accused of using violent tactics and committing human rights violations.
The Border Patrol agent reportedly entered the school without waiting for backup and shot and killed the gunman, Salvador Ramos, AP reported, and he was injured in the process. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz confirmed that agents in the area responded to the shooting on Twitter.
Chief Raul Ortiz (@USBPChief) ~ Agents responded to a law enforcement request for assistance regarding an active shooter situation inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.
Upon entering the building, Agents & law enforcement officers faced immediate gunfire from the subject, who was barricaded inside.
10:04 PM · May 24, 2022
That agent belongs to a special tactical unit of the U.S. Border Patrol dubbed BORTAC, according to Houston news station KPRC 2. It's the same unit that was deployed to Portland, Oregon during the 2020 George Floyd Protests by then President Donald Trump, over 2,000 miles north of the Mexico border.
What is BORTAC?
* BORTAC stands for Border Patrol Tactical Unit, according to this one-sheet from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
* The unit provides "an immediate response" to high-risk incidents requiring "specialized skills and tactics."
* The unit is headquartered in El Paso.
* It was created in 1984 to respond to "rioting" at immigrant detention facilities.
* The unit has evolved into a global militaristic response unit, being deployed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* BORTAC has been likened to elite military units like the Navy SEALs.
Unmarked vans and human rights violations
* In February 2020, Trump sent the "elite Border Patrol tactical units" to arrest immigrants in sanctuary cities.
* BORTAC led federal law enforcement in using tear gas and flash bangs against protestors during the George Floyd protests in Portland.
* Reports surfaced that protesters were hit in the head with "less lethal" munitions.
* Agents in black were also reportedly pulling protesters off the streets and into unmarked minivans.
* CBP also sent a special unit to Seattle in July 2020 to protect federal facilities amid protests.
* The American Civil Liberties Union uncovered CBP documents showing a planned BORTAC presence at Floyd's funeral.
* ACLU claimed BORTAC's actions at protests were human rights violations.
* In August 2020, BORTAC raided a humanitarian aid camp in the Sonoran Desert.
It's not immediately clear why Border Patrol agents, or BORTAC for that matter, were near the school at the time, but Uvalde is about 75 miles from the border with Mexico. There is also a U.S. Border Patrol Station in Uvalde at 332 Lou Stroup Drive — about 10 minutes from the elementary school.
Jason Owens, a top regional official with the Border Patrol, told AP that some agents in the area have children that attend Robb Elementary. MySA reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for comment.
Well, Steven ... I, for one, am glad that the BORTAC agents showed up and immediately dealt with the situation ... aren't you? So, why don't you show a little appreciation for their decisive efforts and then shut the f*ck up.
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence
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