vaginal and anal searches

New Mexico: CBP Settles Lawsuit with ACLU Client Who Endured Invasive Cavity Searches On July 21, 2016, the ACLU of Texas and the ACLU of New Mexico announced a record settlement in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) paid a New Mexico woman $475,000 for illegally subjecting her to vaginal and anal searches after she was detained at the Cordova Bridge point of entry in El Paso. Also today, the four ACLU affiliates at the nation's Southwest border dispatched letters to 40 healthcare providers that cover 110 facilities - from San Diego to Houston-detailing the rights and responsibilities of hospital personnel when confronted by federal agents who request they perform invasive and illegal body cavity searches. In 2014, the University Medical Center of El Paso paid the same woman - referred to in the lawsuit as Jane Doe to protect her privacy - a $1.1 million settlement - for its collusion in the invasive searches. "While we are pleased to have obtained justice for our client, this is really a victory for residents of border communities, who shouldn't have to fear interactions with the thousands of border agents in their midst," said Rebecca Robertson, legal and policy director for the ACLU of Texas. "Of course, this result could not have been achieved without Ms. Doe's courage and perseverance. Had she succumbed to the threats of CBP agents and remained silent, who knows how many others might have suffered a similarly despicable experience." The ordeal began when a drug-sniffing dog allegedly "alerted" on the ACLU's client as she attempted to return from Mexico to her home in the U.S. Agents subjected her to a strip search at the border station, examining her genitals and anus with a flashlight. No contraband was found. The agents nevertheless transported Ms. Doe to University Medical Center, where over the course of six hours she suffered an observed bowel movement, an X-ray, a speculum exam of her vagina, a bimanual vaginal and rectal exam, and a CT scan. These procedures were conducted without Ms. Doe's consent or a search warrant. Read more: http://bit.ly/29TpGIS