Annunciation House Newsletter

in places like El Paso, where the harsh realities associated with grinding poverty and immigration are a lived experience for most, and where the ubiquitous presence of the Border Patrol figures prominently in daily life, it is of the utmost importance that matters pertaining to both are treated with meticulous care.

It is nevertheless clear that, in Juan Patricio Peraza’s case, this did not occur.

The trial evidence presented to the court was shaped to a significant degree by the numerous actions and violations of fundamental Border Patrol policy and investigative procedures that transpired before and after the shooting—such as staking out a homeless shelter, failing to ascertain basic information before applying deadly force, the removal of witnesses from the scene before they could be questioned by the El Paso Police Department (EPPD), and the failure to gather information at the crime scene.

Ruling in full - PDF
Judge RICHARD P. MESA’S legal decision in the case of
CESAR PERAZA BARRAZA and,
RAMONA IRENE QUIJADA-SOTO,
Statutory Death Beneficiaries of
JUAN PATRICIO PERAZA, Deceased,
Plaintiffs,

v.s.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Defendant

statement from Annunciation House
When law enforcement officers — the very individuals entrusted to uphold peace and safety — shoot and kill members of the community, a rigorous investigation into the origins of such an incident must be conducted.
The case of Juan Patricio Peraza is no exception.
Posted on August 2, 2008
U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard P. Mesa [...]

Annunciation House will present its 2008 VOICE OF THE VOICELESS AWARD to Roy Bourgeois on May 17TH
Awarded the Purple Heart as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Roy Bourgeois was ordained a Maryknoll priest in 1972. Sent to Bolivia to work with the poor, he was arrested by security forces and forced to leave Bolivia. [...]