Obama Administration Used Tear Gas, Pepper Spray at Border Dozens of Times, CBP Data Shows
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
As the Trump administration continues to face widespread backlash over its use of tear gas against Central American asylum seekers at the southern border on Sunday, data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has shone a light on just how common the use of tear gas and pepper spray at the border really is.
In a statement sent to Newsweek on Tuesday, the CBP said its personnel have been using tear gas, or 2- chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) , since 2010, deploying the substance a total of 126 times since fiscal year 2012.
Under President Donald Trump, CBP's use of the substance has hit a seven-year record high, with the agency deploying the substance a total of 29 times in fiscal year 2018, which ended on September 30, 2018, according to the agency's data.
However, the data also showed that the substance was deployed nearly the same number of times in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 under former President Barack Obama, with CBP using the substance 26 times in fiscal year 2012 and 27 times in fiscal year 2013.
CBP's use of tear gas appeared to decline in the following years, with 15 uses in fiscal year 2014, eight in fiscal year 2015 and even fewer in fiscal year 2016, with three recorded instances.
As Trump took office, the numbers began to rise again in fiscal year 2017, climbing to 18 deployments of tear gas, before reaching fiscal year 2018's record high of 29 uses.
CBP also noted in its statement that in addition to using tear gas, the agency also "regularly uses" Pava Capsaicin, or pepper spray.
In terms of pepper spray use, deployments appeared to soar under the Obama administration, with CBP personnel using the substance 95 times in fiscal year 2012, a number that climbed to 151 in 2013, before dropping to 109 in fiscal year 2014.
Instances of pepper spray use appeared to drop significantly in fiscal year 2015, declining to 30 instances of use, before rising to 49 instances in fiscal year 2016 and 56 in fiscal year 2017, which would have seen some overlap between Obama and Trump's presidencies.
In fiscal year 2018, CBP said there were 43 recorded instances of pepper spray use under Trump.
CBP has not immediately responded to a request for records outlining why tear gas and pepper spray were used in instances recorded since fiscal year 2012.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, CBP spokeswoman Stephanie Malin said that more than 1,000 individuals who were part of the "so-called caravan" "attempted to cross illegally into the U.S. by breaching section of the fence and using vehicle lanes in and near the San Ysidro Port of Entry" on Sunday.
"The group ignored law enforcement agencies in Mexico and assaulted U.S. Federal Officers and Agents assigned to respond to the situation in San Diego," Malin said.
The CBP spokesperson said that "in response to the assaults and to defuse this dangerous situation, trained CBP personnel employed less-lethal devices to stop the actions of assaultive individuals attempting to break into the U.S."
Malin said that CBP had been "preparing for weeks" for situations like the one that unfolded at the border on Sunday.
"We have seen the use of violence by members of this so-called caravan who have attacked law enforcement personnel in Guatemala, Mexico and now the U.S.," the CBP spokesperson said.
She said that the agency "takes Sunday's employment of use-of-force very seriously," adding that the agency "reviews and evaluates all uses of force incidents to ensure compliance with policy."
While CBP has said that some asylum seekers threw projectiles at Border Patrol agents, striking some personnel, the faction that rushed the border on Sunday represented a small group of the thousands of asylum seekers currently waiting in Mexican border town Tijuana to make their asylum claims at the U.S. border.
In a statement released by the Mexican government on Monday, Mexico's interior ministry reported through the National Institute of Migration that 98 people were slated to be deported to their home countries in connection with "violent" behavior at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Meanwhile, thousands of others face weeks, if not months of waiting in Tijuana to make their asylum claims in the U.S., with the San Ysidro Port of Entry only seeing around 100 claims or fewer processed each day.
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At this point sheeple who aren't aware of, or deny blatant media bias showcase their own hypocrisy and/or stupidity.
Oh look. More evidence of leftist hypocrisy and TDS.
Mr. Obama would have never done something like that. Just like he would have never caged "Illegals".
Obama was the "Savior" of the "NEW WORLD ORDER ? " after all !
I'm surprised the community organizer didn't call for drone strikes on the border.
"Obama did it, too". Are you fucking kidding me? Is that your new standard?
One "Good" turn deserves another ?
What's "Good" for the Goose is "Good" for the Gander ?
Not the point of the seed. See comment 1. How come no one heard of this before and why weren't you outraged then?/s
BTW thanks for unwittingly proving my point.
Is hypocrisy this left's new standard? The media did not report on it. The Democrats and their followers didn't care. Obama had the almighty D behind his name- so it didn't matter.
The only issue the left has is that Hillary was too stupid (twice) to know how the electoral college worked; and that she was more despised than even Trump. The media created Trump because they thought Hillary would have no problem defeating him, and now they can't control him.
I doubt that Trump can win a second term- unless Hillary decides she is the best option again- and the Clinton machine submarines all of the Dem candidates. Then you, the rest of the left, and the media can go back to ignoring anything the POTUS does.
What a load of shit that is.
Trump brought this coverage on himself.
Obama's not the one running around with a flaming raccoon on his head shouting about the caravan containing murderers, mules, sex traffikers, thieves and rapists. Without a single shred of evidence.
Of course the press will cover that...he brought it on. Otherwise, it was Tuesday.
In denial of media bias much? LMFAO!
So you think you should have been kept in the dark when BO did it but are outraged now becuse it's Trump.
You guys just cant help unwittingly proving the articles point, can you?
Just curious? How did you explain photos of kids in cages taken during BO's reign being used as as political fodder for Trump?
Nice deflection! I think the actual subject is liberal hypocrisy and faux outrage. Can you respond coherently?
It's an entire seed of WHATABOUTISM. They must be getting even more desperate.
[deleted] get their panties in a wad over things happening under the Trump Administration, and remained silent when the exact same things happened under the Obama Administration, then that is rank hypocrisy--not whataboutism.
Please learn the difference.
Nope, just pointing out the hypocrisy of the left every chance we get.
Whataboutism is the new word for Liberal Hypocrisy. Got it.
Are yours guys havin fun yet? For Christ Sake! Nobody ever said Obama was pro illegal immigration. He deported more undocumented border jumpers and visa jumpers than any President before him even dreamed of. Obama was though not known for having a particular hardon for poor brown refugees fleeing wartorn homelands. In any case, whoever said Obama was not an establishment politician?
Obama is culturally a white ivy league Kansan trapped in a beige body. He never even lived in a black household until he married Michelle. So what? He is also now the retired and honored two term former President of the United States of America and The Most Admired Man in the World for the last ten years running. None of that will ever be truly spoken of Donald Trump except for the former President part and that is what really burns you...
Oh, while y'all were distracting yourselves with this more and more evidence of Trump and Co conspiring with our enemies to violate our election laws is in the news again today. Slowly they turn. Inch by inch. Step by step. And then POW! Right in the impeachment. Yeah that right, Nancy Polosi will be The Speaker of the House, again, in about five weeks. BWAHAHAHAHAHA...
You know...you're right. I remember a short ten years to about three years ago that whenever Obama was criticized for something, we heard the collective liberal cry...."But Buuuuuuuusssshhhhh". Pain in the ass, wasn't it?
You people need to learn there is a difference between whataboutism and pointing out hypocrisy.
There’s yet to be any existence of the non existent crime of election collusion with the Russians and no one has been indicted for this non existent crime.
Pelosi may yet be Speaker but cannot get any leftist legislation signed into law and has zero power over the Senate confirmation of judges and justices
Maybe not, but Pelosi can impeach Trump for his high crimes...
Yeah, but she has nothing to do with the determination of guilt or innocence.
She can't remove Trump.
President Pelosi has a nice ring to it.
I don't think she is going to RUN for President.
That must be some strong recreational pharmaceuticals you using there.
Won't need to. Pence is in this up to his eyeballs. Boot the both, send the Trumps to prison and she's now the President and you won't even have to put your slippers on.
You're.
Do you happen to live in a state where marijuana is now legal?
Aerosmith.
Your comment brings a Arrow smith...
[Deleted]
Aerosmith
She won’t do it because it would go nowhere in the Senate
it could bring us to a second civil war if that’s what you want
[Deleted]
Now that was fucking stupid.
Still missing what this has to do with blatant media bias.
Um, no she can't. She can forward articles of impeachment to the Senate for consideration, if she has enough votes to do that. The other side of that sword blade is that the vorters can and will see that when it came time to legislate and help every American Citizen, that she and her sheeple opted for doing nothing but going the Don Quixote route of tilting at windmills-without a prayer of ever seeing success.
That's a strategic plan, alright.
Please stop with the lie. Obama's own Homeland Security Head admitted Obama changed the way deportees were counted. Unless he was lying to Congress.
Two more sources just to refute the lie.
Nope, just truth and reality.
If both Obama and Trump did it, how can anybody make an objection and be taken serious?
Well the media will keep doing their best to make sure no one knows BO did it and to demonize Trump for doing it and there are a lot of (willingly?) ignorant people so...
And yet you pulled this from the very media you're bashing.
Sure glad you checked that out before lying about it.
A quick Google shows WaPo, USA Today, newsweek, free beacon and several others reported this.
OK, so they reported on it...where was your outrage about it?
Faux outrage takes time to prepare... And the occasional advice from crisis actors...
There was no outrage.
They only found their "conscience" when a Republican Administration does the exact same thing.
Isn't that just SHOCKING?!?!
No outrage because I already knew.
And you won't find a damn thing.from me about Trump doing it either.
It's non-lethal.
The only thing that brought this much attention is Trump himself. Obama didn't send the military, he sidn't throw out lies about who's in the caravan, he didn't lie about Mexico agreeing to shelter them.
Trump made this a grandstand moment and it has now come back to bite him in the ass like most everything he's doing and taking credit for.
why don't you post the links so we can compare the stories?/S
Never use logic and common sense on progressive liberals or the truth. Their minds just cannot handle it and implode!
Would that be a bad thing?
They just avoid it alltogether, as is evident by the number participating in this discuccion....
Does that mean you won't disappear when your comments can't be backed up and then the truth debunks you?
Talk about imploding!
I have never backed down yet. If someone proves me wrong I am man enough to admit it. I cannot say the same for a great many hard core progressive leftist liberals I have seen posting on Newstalkers. You have a nice day now
It was bad when Obama did it, it's bad when trump does it. Simple as that.
Nonsense. We have a right to secure our borders against invaders committing violence against us
So It was bad when Obama did it, and good when Trump does it? THAT'S your argument? LMFAO!!!!!
That would be a LITTLE bit more believable IF Democrats had been up in arms when it happened under the Obama Administration.
But the silent left has NO credibility now after not saying a word when it happened under Obama.
THAT is hypocrisy, any way you slice it.
When and where did i say it was ok when it happened under Obama?
When and where did you condemn the actions of the Obama Administration for doing exactly what the Trump Administration is doing now?
Um, #7?
Short memory?
Did you complain WHEN it occurred under the Obama Administration, or only NOW?
Please don't be disingenuous.
Um, yes, I did actually. Any other questions? Here is one for you..
Do you condemn trump for doing exactly what Obama did? Of course not..
SMFH
Hell NO I didn't condemn Trump for what happened, JUST LIKE I NEVER CONDEMNED OBAMA WHEN IT HAPPENED UNDER HIM.
See, I want a President to protect our borders. And enforce immigration laws.
You may not have condemned him but you refused to give Obama credit for how tough he was on illegal immigration. The illegal entry problem basically ended under Obama. It was no longer a problem when Trump took over and it's not a problem now. Trump just wants to heap gratuitous cruelty on desperate refugees to please his bloodthirsty, hate-filled base. Trump's a sick fuck and you know it.
So what? I didn't sing Obama's praises enough for you? That's too bad. Hell, I don't like how you never seem to give credit to Trump for anything, but that isn't the topic, now is it?
Why are you bringing that up when the discussion is whether I condemned Obama for the tear gas used under him?
Keep moving those goalposts, buddy!
I think we have a new problem now. I think its also because we didn't do squat to squash it when we maybe could have. These countries overflowing with people exiting didn't happen overnight, In The past we did stuff to help stabilize our neighbors when and where we could to help keep this exact thing from happening . This time I don't think we did shit. Now we have a problem.
Trump just wants to heap gratuitous cruelty on desperate refugees to please his bloodthirsty, hate-filled base.
First I dont think trump thinks that far in advance, second I don't think he thinks some stuff thru a lot if he give it much thought at all. Look at his instantaneous zero release immigration debacle not so long ago that I think we're still paying for and cleaning up. No detailed planning it seems. I look for more of that.
Trump does what gives him power and he is an opportunist, however I doubt he "engineered" any of this.
Catch and reelase is not tough on immigration it is a plot to grow constituency.
You are too funny. So Obama stopped the illegal entry problem? Got any proof of that? I won't hold my breath waiting.
What do you call the caravan that is at our border now that has swollen to over 8,500, with at two more caravans forming in South America? Future Democrat voters?/S
And the left wants to lie and say most of the caravan is women and children; which has been proven to be repeatedly false. Most of the caravan is made of young adult, working age, males. They violently crossed Mexico's southern border; and they are now trying to violently enter the US. Most will not qualify for amnesty; since economic hardship not a valid reason under the law.
Yes, and those with TDS are sick fucks and we know that as well. Trump wasn't my choice for POTUS; but the Dems ran someone even more despised than Trump; and still hasn't learned how the electoral college works.
Trump actually did something right; and it is driving the left around the bend.
The problem is when BO did this and putt kids in cages and deported illegals no one had a problem with it. Now all of a sudden the world is coming to and end./s
The question at hand is why didn't it matter when BO did it? How come it wasn't front page news that BO gassed cheldren and caged them using the laws CLINTON put in place?
Sunday’s border violence
“Some migrants threw rocks, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers responded with tear gas to disrupt the crowds.
San Diego’s chief Border Patrol agent Rodney Scott went on CNN on Monday to discuss agents’ response.
On whether the migrants at the border are really asylum seekers:
“I do not believe that is true. I believe there are definitely people in that group that are going to try to claim asylum. The vast majority of those, from what we call the northern triangle, are economic migrants, though. They do not meet the qualifications to get asylum here. They can still apply. That’s a different issue. However, what I saw at on the border (Sunday) was not people walking up to Border Patrol agents and asking to claim asylum. Matter of fact, one of the groups that I watched — one of the groups that actually, several of them were arrested — they passed 10 or 15 marked Border Patrol units walking west to east, numerous uniformed personnel. They were chanting, waving the Honduran flag and throwing rocks at the agents. If they were truly asylum seekers, they would have just walked up with their hands up and surrendered and that did not take place.”
On the use of tear gas on women and children:
“When the threat is to our personnel or to protect others, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. What I find unconscionable is that people would intentionally take children into this situation. What we saw over and over (Sunday) was that the group, the ‘caravan’ as we call them, would push women and children toward the front and then begin basically rocking our agents. So there’s different types of tools we use, different types of CS (gas) deployment. We try to target specifically the instigators, specifically the person assaulting the agent, but as you saw from the video, once that chemical is released it does go through the air. I was in an area where I actually inhaled quite a bit of it (Sunday) as well. That’s what’s going to happen in those situations.”
These invaders are despicable.
[Deleted]
ARGH.....I've been censored!
My freedom of speech is under attack!!!!! Egads
I would just like to say that I think my comment was very valuable.