Reporting on November 10, 2022, the Nogales-based Kino Border Initiative (KBI) stated, “Over the past 2 weeks, 11 people have reported to Kino the confiscation and disposal of their personal belongings by Border Patrol. In these cases, Border Patrol deports people without their most necessary personal belongings, such as identity documents, money and cell phones, which often leaves them stranded and unable to communicate with family members.”
Among cases cited:
Upon apprehending Gerardo [name changed to protect privacy], BP [Border Patrol] confiscated his belt, jacket, cell phone, phone charger, wallet and 800 pesos ($41 USD). He commented, “I need my cell phone to be able to communicate with my family and without money, I can’t go anywhere.”
— “Early November Update on the Border, Asylum and Deportations from KBI” (Nogales: Kino Border Initiative, November 10, 2022).