ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has agreed to pay $475,000 to a New Mexico woman who accused agents of forcing her to undergo illegal body cavity probes.
American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Texas and New Mexico announced the settlement Thursday that also requires training for Customs and Border Protection officers.
A 2013 lawsuit said the unnamed 54-year-old U.S. citizen was "brutally" searched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in December 2012.
Court document said the woman was selected at an El Paso Port of Entry after a drug sniffing dog jumped on her.
The lawsuit says no drugs were found but the woman was transported in handcuffs to the University Medical Center of El Paso where doctors subjected her to an observed bowel movement, a CT scan and vaginal exams without a warrant.
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