The woman beaten by police for crossing the Mexican border into the U.S. along with 19 men said she sought better educational opportunities for her two children. Working odd jobs after the Mexican factory where she once worked had closed, Alicia Saltero Vasquez could not make enough money to provide for her children, who she hoped would surpass her second-grade education. Vasquez and Enrique Funes Flores were beaten on Monday (4-1) by two male sheriff’s deputies following a chase from the Mexican border. The beating was videotaped by news helicopters and broadcast throughout the United States and Mexico, bringing police brutality back into the limelight almost four years after police were acquitted of beating Rodney King.
Two of the Mexican men beaten Monday have filed claim against Riverside County, asking for more than $10 million and claiming the officers broke anti-torture laws. Saltero remains in the hospital, and it is not clear whether or not she will file a claim against the county.
