Ana Suda (El Paso, Texas)
Ana Suda (El Paso, Texas)
Photo of Ana Suda.
Border Patrol Agent O'Neal who asked her and her friend, both U.S. citizens, for documentation as proof of presence in United States. The video has since gone viral. [1]
Biography
U.S. Citizens Questioned by Border Patrol for Speaking Spanish || ViralHog.
Suda was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Having dual nationality for both countries, she would often travel back and forth from both countries. [1]
Ana Suda (El Paso, Texas) has a seven year old daughter whom she lives with in Havre along with her partner. [1]
In The Media
U.S. citizens questioned by Border Patrol in Havre for speaking Spanish (video).
On the early morning of May 16, 2018, Suda and her friend had just finished their early run to the store to pick up eggs and milk when an encounter with Border Patrol Agent O'Neal occurs while standing in line to pay for their items. Both women were having an exchange of words in Spanish while waiting for the cashier to ring them up as the Patrol Agent listened carefully and interrupted them. The agent asked the women to present U.S. documentation such as an I.D. [1]
Outside of the store, Suda asked the agent again his reasoning for asking the Suda and her friend for their I.D.s so that she could capture him on video.
[1] The agent says:
“Ma’am, the reason I asked you for your ID is because I came in here, and I saw that you guys are speaking Spanish, which is very unheard of up here."
Suda asked if she and her friend were being profiled and the Agent responded:
“It has nothing to do with that...
It’s the fact that it has to do with you guys speaking Spanish in the store, in a state where it’s predominantly English-speaking.”
Suda and her friend were detained in the parking lot by the agent for nearly 45 minutes.
She was overcome with embarrassment as people would watch them in the parking lot interacting with the Border Patrol wondering what is happening.
Statement Release By Border Patrol
"Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities and are not limited to a specific geography within the United States...
They have the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence."
The agency have also stated that they are investigating the case in order to study whether the officer followed the correct protocol setup from training.