Rape, American Style

The class-action suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of immigrant women --one supposes, mostly Mexican -- that claim to have been sexually abused while in custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guys in Texas should come as no surprise. Illegal immigrants are fair game --literally -- for rednecks and other folks of that ilk. To them, Latinos are worthless people who, on top of that, have no business being north of the border. So, they have no rights, and any mistreatment is just what they deserve for breaking the law. In the case of women, there's the added bonus of abusing them sexually.

Part of the problem comes form the fact that ICE has privatized some of its functions through contracts with people in the security business who don't feel accountable to anyone. Some of these people are mercenaries and former military personnel who are used to abusing and killing "inferior" people overseas, and see nothing wrong in doing it in the good ol' USA. Rape is a way of life in and outside U.S. bases in Japan and the Philippines, for example, crimes that, for the most part, go unpunished or are leniently so.

All this is another reason to really think long and hard before crossing that southern border looking for a better life.

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