7 Incidences of State Violence Latinas Encounter in the US

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When Latinas move to the United States, they hope to find the best opportunities. Unfortunately, along with their decision to start a new life in a new country are the risks of suffering from injustice in the land of freedom and dreams.

Here are seven incidences of state violence that Latinas encounter in the U.S., according to Latinas.

1. Forced Sterilization - Forty years ago, 10 Mexican-American women filed a lawsuit after they were sterilized without their consent. A documentary film titled "No Más Bebés" shared the horror that those women experienced. Unfortunately, the issue continues. In 2014, 53 Latino women along with other colored women were sterilized illegally, The Center for Investigative Reporting reported.
2. Guinea Pigs - Another terrifying experience for Latinas were being subject to medical research. Per the report, in Puerto Rico, island's women were used as guinea pigs for dangerous and unethical birth control trials.
3. Mass Detention - Latinas are among the fastest-growing populations in jail. The number of women in prison is twice than men. Latinas are 69 percent more likely than white women to be incarcerated, per Southern Coalition for Social Justice. The majority of these Latinas were detained for nonviolent drug offenses.
4. Harsher Sentences - Aside from higher chances of incarceration, when proven guilty, Latinas are 27.6 percent more likely to receive a harsher sentence for a similar crime than white. At the federal level, this figure jumps to 47.6 percent.
5. Patrol Rapes - Latinas who cross the Mexico-US border purchased birth control pills before their journey because most women who already did were raped. Unfortunately, the perpetrators are no other than the U.S. patrol agents. CBS Evening News reported that over 20 agents in the last six years were accused of sexual assault, rape, and attempted murder for their misbehavior against the women crossing the border.
6. Transgender Latinas Detained With Men - Per Fusion, the transgender women in the U.S. are locked alongside men who tortured, humiliated and sexually abused them. Other times, they were put in solitary confinement, a 6-by-13-foot cell where there is no human contact and view of the outside world. The investigation found out that this arrangement "are often humiliating, dangerous, and even deadly."
7. Broken Homes - Due to injustice, mass incarceration and mass deportations, Latino families are torn apart. Oftentimes, when the family is ripped, the children are forced to foster care where they become overmedicated and engage in substance abuse. A 2013 study revealed that U.S.-born Latinos are among the highest population in the foster care system.