In 2010, when Anastasio Hernández-Rojas died after his arrest at a checkpoint, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was from a medical emergency. Even though video surfaced showing 20 officers beating and tasing him, none of the men were held accountable for his death. An investigative journalist and a former CBP agent noted a passing reference to the Critical Incident Team, an organization neither had heard of. They learn this secretive unit isn’t tasked with investigating lethal force incidents - their purpose is to prevent or short-circuit them.

“Critical Incident: Death at the Border” from HBO Documentary Films looks into a shadow unit buried within U.S. Customs and Border Protection working to shield officers from lethal force investigations. It follows a reporter’s quest to uncover the Critical Incident Team and learn its true purpose, and tells the story of the family’s fight to get some measure of justice for Hernández-Rojas.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CRITICAL INCIDENT: DEATH AT THE BORDER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.

Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.