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BORDER NEWS
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit aimed at changing the US government policy toward Cuban migrants.  A Cuban engineer filed the suit after his wife and child were apprehended off the coast of Florida attempting to rejoin him.  The judge ruled that the engineer did not have standing to sue on behalf of Cuban migrants, and that even if he did, the suit was without merit because the government can enforce immigration laws as it sees fit. 
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Two men drowned in the Rio Grande last week, an event that was captured on film by a television crew and later broadcast in both Mexico and the US.  Along with the camera crew, the event was witnessed by dozens of people crossing a nearby bridge and by Border Patrol agents.  The agents did throw a lifeline to the drowning men, but did not enter the water to help them.  Not all Border Patrol agents are trained to make water rescues, and even those who are must take into consideration conditions in the river. 
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The US Coast Guard is reporting another violent clash with Cuban migrants.  This time eight Cubans on a boat 24 miles south of Key West tried to set themselves on fire and threatened to eat rat poison, saying they would rather die than be returned to Cuba.  The Coast Guard used pepper spray to subdue the migrants, and used chemical flame-retardants to stop the fire on their boat.  Despite their desire, they were later returned to Cuba. 
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This week a judge rejected the request of a Mexican national to drop the smuggling charges against him.  The judge agreed that it was wrong for the Border Patrol agents who arrested him to make him pose with a sign saying “I support our Border Patrol,” but that did not mean the charges against him should be dropped.  The INS is conducting an investigation of the incident. 
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The mother of a mentally disturbed young man who was wrongfully deported and subsequently found drowned in the Rio Grande has filed suit against the Border Patrol.  Her son was a lawful permanent resident who suffered from schizophrenia.  He was deported on April 26.  He had been picked up by agents without documentation.  According to the Border Patrol, he did not tell them he was a permanent resident and he signed a voluntary departure order.  His mother, however, says that the Border Patrol told her that her son had told them he had documentation of his status. 
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Two Honduran nationals are facing deportation for renting children and using them are part of a scheme to enter the US illegally.  According to a spokesperson from the Border Patrol, each man posed as the father of a child.  They planned to be apprehended and then apply for documents that allow families in deportation proceedings to travel freely while waiting for a hearing.  The children, both of whom are Mexican citizens, have been returned to Mexico.  Because the children cannot testify due to their youth, the men will not face criminal prosecution.