No Borders Camp 2007
Calexico/Mexicali

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The purpose of this testimony is to give the perspective of the health-care professionals who were present and tending to injuries suffered at the ending rally, Calexico side, on the afternoon of November 11, 2007. This is not a full account of what occurred during that situation.

Why is the Medic Testimony Important? This is an important voice because the ability to work with law enforcement officials in order to safely administer care and transport patients to definitive care is inherent to the job description of emergency medical responders. This testimony demonstrates the breach of that civil contract.

Brief background pertinent to this testimony includes who we are as “medics” and what our role has been as part of the No Borders Camp. We are volunteer medics from predominantly the West Coast and Southwest U.S., including Nurses, EMTs, and Wilderness First Responders. During the 5-day camp, the No Borders Medics provided health and wellness support including 24-hour availability, a medic station, and first-aid trainings. All medics (basic to advanced), from the commencement of the camp, were easily identified by orange cloth tied around the neck. No critical incidents occurred during this time beyond basic first aid (cuts, blisters, infection prevention) and treating beginning stages of heat-related illness (headaches from dehydration, administering electrolytes, etc). The two medics ‘on duty’ during the November 11th Rally are both National Registry Certified EMT-Bs and certified Wilderness First Responders (WFRs) and two other certified WFRs were on site.

Our immediate response when the situation began to escalate was to be aware of scene safety and to protect ourselves from immediate harm by moving to the outskirts of the scene and taking into account a first general impression of who was incurring injury and by what mechanisms. The violence was leading most of the demonstration group in the northeastern direction, toward the side of a building.

We immediately gathered at least a dozen individuals in those first minutes and encouraged folks to avoid panicking, which was causing difficulty breathing, coughing, and spread of the toxin. We used phrases such as: Try not to run; Breathe slowly; Cover your mouths and noses, etc. With a mixture of water and Maalox on hand, we squirted small amounts into mouths, providing some relief. Others made their way over to this zone after being tackled and/or pushed to the ground and injured, and the pepper ball rounds continued in this direction at very close range. Soon thereafter, the most beaten were taken into U.S. custody while the rest of the group, maybe 2 dozen who were not able to flee, was temporarily detained on the sidewalk.

This included the detention and intimidation of the medics as well. It was not until one detained individual cried out, “It feel like my contacts are melting in my eyes,” that the medics were able to assert themselves and the need to address injuries that care was able to continue.

INJURIES and TREATMENT
1. Pepper-ball related:
Contusions/Welts: Mechanism of Injury (MOI)- pointblank and close range firing of pepper ball rounds causing grapefruit sized ecchymosis, damage to the dermis and small blood vessels resulting in swelling and pain.
Respiratory compromise: dyspnea- shortness of breath
Eye irritation- Especially for those wearing contact lenses
Skin irritation- Aggravated by the toxin remaining in clothing. Wipes and alcohol swabs were dispersed on site for cleaning of hands.
Treatment: Cold packs, washing of skin & mucous membranes and removal of contaminated clothing- after return to meeting house.

2. Direct-Contact related:
Closed Head-injury: MOI- being pushed into wall by Border Patrol agent. Blunt trauma suffered to the cerebrum causing possible concussion, meaning a temporary loss of responsiveness and alteration of brain function. The patient was then weak and dizzy and relied upon a friend to get up and move toward the detained group (this was observed and told to a medic immediately after dispersal). In Emergency Medicine we know to always assume that a patient with signs of concussion has a more serious injury until proven otherwise by CT scan and physician. Unfortunately, in this case, this young man was yelled at and threatened by Border Patrol agents even while in the state of concussion and was then detained briefly and released before any attention could be given or without being able to be identified to the medics present.
Contusions, soft-tissue injuries: MOI- law enforcement batons and agent to civilian aggression: Blunt trauma suffered body-wide. Muscular soreness/pain.
Treatment: Individuals sought their own continued treatment.

3. Harm inflicted to persons with handicaps and/or prior conditions:
a.) Individual in wheelchair was unable to remove himself from scene immediately and was also unable to cover his mouth/nose to prevent inhalation of pepper spray. This resulted in coughing and possible temporary obstruction of airway and breathing and irritation/redness of skin on face. Medic assisted this individual on site.
b.) Another individual with Fibromyalgia was in great pain due to the temporary detention and the forced position of sitting on the cement with hands on the head. This individual was not able to move until negotiations allowed her eventual release. Medic knew of her condition because of ongoing treatment for pain and inflammation throughout the week, and Medic was allowed to assist with the release/departure of this individual.

4. Denial of care in U.S. Custody: Legal team has collected reports of this abuse.

5. Potential for Psychological Trauma: The possibility of suffering from post-traumatic stress is very high in this situation as the aggression was very unexpected, the force was extremely excessive in relation to the size/threat of the group, and the impunity toward inflicting harm was absolutely frightening. Formal and informal ‘processing sessions’ have been encouraged among all attendees of the camp as well as asking for written testimonies to be submitted as soon as possible.

Summary: As medical professionals, we are horrified by the obvious desire of these federal law enforcement officials to inflict bodily harm and trauma onto a peaceful and unarmed group of demonstrators. We are equally outraged by the deceptive denial of care for those who were detained and who more than likely needed the most attention.

Also, as medics predominantly of the borderlands who have tremendous amounts of experience providing humanitarian aid to migrants, we recognize that these abuses occur every single day. This is not an isolated incidence. As humanitarians and health-care professionals we demand that the U.S. Border Patrol be held publicly accountable for this systemic behavior within that larger context.

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