(CMR) Cleon Harden, a Jamaican man who was caught on video in a major brawl with Mexican authorities at the Cancún International Airport in late December said he was badly beaten before being sent back home.
Harden, who told local media he was going to Mexico for a month-long vacation, was deported to Jamaica on December 25.
Harden said the ordeal in the airport started because he was being profiled wrongly by the immigration officials as one of many Jamaicans trying to enter the United States illegally through Mexico.
In the video, Harden was seen breaking glass and using a piece of the broken glass to threaten immigration staff and passengers who were in a second review room at the immigration office.
He subsequently tried to leave the airport but was prevented from doing so by the Federal Immigration and National Guards Agent.
“Dem start kick me up, handcuff mi and put mi inna di cell. Dem kick mi up all bout, all inna mi head and side. Mi affi play like me dead and a so dem affi stop. Then the next day dem come back wid it again,” Harden recalled.
“I showed them that I was coming from Panama and never had any problems, but one of them tell me to go over the interrogation room. While I was over there, they called me out say ‘Jamaica yuh going back home', and from deh so mi stand up and mi just lose mi cool. Dem a interrogate Jamaicans like say wi a some top drug dealer or some top drugs we a carry. Mi no know why dem a deal wid it suh,” Harden told The Weekend Star.
Harden was reportedly deported from England 11 years ago for a similar incident of misconduct.
He said while his actions were posted on social media, the abuse he was subjected to was not shown.
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