Video: U.S. border officers telling Mexican teen to drink liquid meth that killed him

Video shows U.S. border officers telling Mexican teen to drink the liquid meth that killed him

The 16-year-old had just crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to San Diego and was going through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He was carrying two bottles of liquid that he claimed was apple juice. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told him to drink it to prove he wasn’t lying, court records say.

Click to expand...

A surveillance video published by ABC Friday, about 3 1/2 years after Acevedo’s death, shows the teen taking a sip of the liquid after one of the two officers, Valerie Baird, motioned for him to drink. He took another sip after the other officer, Adrian Perallon, made a gesture with his hand, appearing to tell him to drink more.

Click to expand...

The United States has since agreed to pay Acevedo’s family $1 million in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought against two border officers and the U.S. government.

Click to expand...

Images Capture Teen Drinking Liquid Meth at Border Crossing

Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo, 16, of Tijuana was stopped by federal officials after he entered the U.S. from Mexico through the San Ysidro Port of Entry on November 18, 2013.

Click to expand...

"It's true that Cruz was doing something that was against the law. And that he did not have to be doing. That's a fact," said Gene Iredale, a family attorney. "It's also true that they did not point their guns at him or physically threaten him but in a social context in which this occurred, they knew exactly what they were doing."

Click to expand...

"What happened here, it looks like their tactic backfired," said Ozols. "They expected this individual to say hey there are drugs in here. I'm not going to drink it. He did start to drink it and that created a problem."

The family attorney said that the agents could have resolved the issue with a simple two-dollar test. He's fighting for the proper treatment of people crossing the border, as well as discipline for bad behavior and better training of agents.

Click to expand...

bluesneakers said:

Video shows U.S. border officers telling Mexican teen to drink the liquid meth that killed him

Click to expand...

I read that earlier. It's crazy. They had the tools to do field testing, why didn't they do that instead? Sick.

We watched this last night- I do not understand at all why the two agents are still on the job - not even a reprimand! The US paid out a million dollars to his family- clearly that's an acknowledgment of the agents wrongdoing - but yet they kept their jobs. The woman, Valerie Baird, was frightening - she looked like she was enjoying reliving it all during her deposition. So disturbing..

cinsbythesea said:

We watched this last night- I do not understand at all why the two agents are still on the job - not even a reprimand! The US paid out a million dollars to his family- clearly that's an acknowledgment of the agents wrongdoing - but yet they kept their jobs. The woman, Valerie Baird, was frightening - she looked like she was enjoying reliving it all during her deposition. So disturbing..

Click to expand...

I watched this as well and totally agree about the female agent. Unless she smiles like a creep when she's nervous her actions during the interview were very disturbing. So sad for that poor kid.

I too watched the episode and was so disturbed by her demeanor. A young man died a horrific death after the two agents' callous treatment and obvious encouragement to drink the liquid. I can't even imagine how terrified he must have been and the pain he experienced prior to death. I should re-watch the episode but really don't want to as it disturbed me so much after viewing it once. I was also bothered by the seemingly detached attitude of the authority figure, whoever he was, who clearly distanced himself, too. The only agent who seemed to display any compassion/remorse over this disgusting incident was the second female agent interviewed - she seemed shaken over this awful incident. I can't believe the two agents weren't fired & charged in some manner.

Sorry I am not clear on the details but I really can't bring myself to watch this video again to clarify. Disgusting all the way around.

Oh man... this has to be one of the most dramatic events of the year, and it was a terrible year.
_________________________________
Dumitru from Customized Import Training