A study published last year by University of California, Irvine sociologist [and assistant professor] Irene Vega, who interviewed more than 50 Border Patrol agents in California and Arizona, argued that Border Patrol agents' perceptions of reasonable force are shaped by politics, law and culture. "A sense of exceptionalism pervades the organization," Vega wrote in "'Reasonable' Force at the Border" for the academic journal Social Problems. She argued that internal messaging within Border Patrol paints the border as uniquely dangerous and gives agents an overly individualist view of objective reasonableness.

For the full story, please visit https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2023-02-19/dhs-new-use-of-force-policy.