Airport raid in California target Hispanics disproportionately

The News (Mexico City) ^ | March 31, 2002

[sarcasm]

SAN FRANCISCO, California - Recent raids on California airports that have resulted in the arrest of hundreds of immigrants, mostly Hispanics, have drawn criticism from human rights groups.

"To ask individuals to identify themselves just because they look, act or behave like immigrants is illegal and it creates panic in our community. We are not going to keep quiet about it," said the chairwoman of the Los Angeles Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Angelica Salas.

Salas said the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is using racial profiling in the arrests, which is illegal in the United States. More than 300 people demonstrated on Thursday against the raids in Los Angeles

"First, they came for the Muslims, the Arabs. Now, they go for Latinos and other non-white immigrants," said National Lawyers Guild spokesman James Lafferty of the some 1,200 arrests, mostly of Muslims and citizens of Middle Eastern countries, made after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Of those detainees, 327 continue in prison. Some 250 people were arrested as a result of recent raids on 11 airports nationwide.

In airports of San Francisco and San Jose, California, immigration officers required employees and legal residents to identify themselves.

Fifty-five people have been arrested since Monday in northern California and will be deported, said INS San Francisco office spokesperson Sharon Rummery.

She said the arrest and deportation of janitors, porters and kitchen helpers at the airports are measures to combat terrorism, as immigrants are vulnerable to eventual pressure from terrorists. Charges against the undocumented include using fake social security cards and lying about their backgrounds in job applications.

"It is an extremely dangerous situation for all. Terrorist groups learn about the status of these people and could force them to do things they don't want to do at the airports," Rummery said on behalf of the INS.

The INS also reported the arrest last week of 183 Mexicans and a Guatemalan citizen.

Thomas Schilgen, director of INS in Los Angeles, denied the airport raids targeted people who looked like immigrants or Hispanics. He said that INS acted based on intelligence reports that said immigrant traffickers were using U.S. airports and flights to ply their trade.

Also, the federal government could deport 66 undocumented immigrants, most of them from Mexico, arrested in an early March dragnet in the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport of North Carolina.

[sarcasm]

ping

[umgud]

While some view it as politically incorrect and there may be policies against it, I wasn't aware that racial profiling was illegal in the United States.

[Sabertooth]

Recent raids on California airports that have resulted in the arrest of hundreds of immigrants, mostly Hispanics, have drawn criticism from human rights groups.

"To ask individuals to identify themselves just because they look, act or behave like immigrants is illegal and it creates panic in our community. We are not going to keep quiet about it," said the chairwoman of the Los Angeles Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Angelica Salas....

"First, they came for the Muslims, the Arabs. Now, they go for Latinos and other non-white immigrants," said National Lawyers Guild spokesman James Lafferty of the some 1,200 arrests, mostly of Muslims and citizens of Middle Eastern countries, made after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Oh, the horror!

"Indeed, the 2000 census shows that 58.5 percent of this country's 35.3 million Latinos have Mexican origins and are predominantly concentrated in the Southwest."
While this refers to the total Latino population in the U.S., and not just the illegals, it portends ill for the credibility of Angelica Salas.
LINK.

Census estimates show that the number of illegal aliens in the United States "rose nearly 5 million during the decade, to 8.7 million in 2000. Of that total, almost 3.9 million, or 44 percent, were from Mexico."
That's 44% of the total of illegal aliens from the entire world.
LINK.

"Figures show that 44 percent of illegal aliens are from Mexico and 12 percent are from Europe."
Uh-oh… 44% - 12% = 56%. Unless no illegal aliens came from Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, South America, or Australia, the highest percentage of non-Mexican Central American illegals that there could be would be 44% (100% - 56% = 44%). In that unlikely event, that would tie them with Mexico.
LINK.

"…the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that foreign-born persons categorized as coming from "Other Central America" (excluding Mexico) made up 6.8% of the total foreign-born population in 1997.
Now, this figure for percentage of total foreign born population comes from three years before the Census, but it indicates the likelihood that a crackdown on Illegals would fall disproportionately on Latinos because... Illegals are most likely Latino.
LINK.

"The Census Bureau report was generated as part of a highly technical series of post-Census 2000 studies. The bureau found that 5,312,990 undocumented residents hailed from North and Central America, with 3,871,912 coming from Mexico, the source of the greatest number of illegal foreigners."
These figures indicate that over 72% of the illegals hailing from countries between Canada and Panama are Mexican.
LINK.

" We estimated that 27 percent of the residual foreign born in 1990 was from Mexico; our 2000 estimate was closer to 45 percent from Mexico. Most studies indicate that Mexico constitutes a substantial proportion of the unauthorized population, around 55 percent. (Warren, 2000; Bean, 2001)
So, just the Mexicans are at 55% of the illegal population, and throw in the rest of Central America... What do you have? A whole lot of Illegals who happen to be Latino. Deport them.
LINK.

Boo hoo!

[Ajnin]

Racial profiling isn't illegal. I use it all the time to arrest illegal aliens. Illegal aliens especially from Mexico have a certain look and mannerisms that say "Hey YO! I'm here illegally?"

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

"First, they came for the Muslims, the Arabs. Now, they go for Latinos and other non-white immigrants..."

He's saying this like it's a bad thing?

[Ajnin]

Of course, there are other requirements when pulling over vehicles and arresting people in towns or cities. Using race is a big part of my job though.

[MistyCA]

this is about the most stupid thing I have ever heard! Of course they are looking for people who most likely to be here illegally....like Mexicans. Or people who don't speak english? I am so sick and tired of this liberal waste of time! It's like the people who complained about racial profiling of middle Easterners when they were looking for people who might be planning to blow up the planes. I honestly don't understand how any American can complain about efforts to stop terrorism or illegal immigration. What on earth is their benefit in doing this???

[11B3]

So what is the INS supposed to do? Start checking all of the blonde/blues that they see to check if they are latinos here illegally????? After all, when you're looking for Mexican illegals, I would think that you would naturally check out people who fit the description.

[sarcasm]

I find it interesting that these cultural conservatives and future Republicans are using the tactics of the radical left.

[Rubber Ducky]

We're supposed to run the INS like our model and wildly successful federal airport security. We need to strip-search matronly middle-aged white women and make 3 year old black tots take off their Winnie the Pooh shoes so we don't risk hurting the feelings of swarthy young Middle Eastern males who might feel racially profiled.

[Brian Allen]

And all of the tax cuts go to the high income folks who have been discriminated against by having been made to pay all of the taxes?

Seems to me that when Our Beloved FRaternal Republic is under attack FRom and by cells comprised of airport-industry-based murderous turd wurld criminal aliens, the seach for more of these murderous individuals and enemy cells [Even if conducted only by the kind of feral-gummint bureaucrats who issue posthumous visas to and put the official feral-gummint stamp of approval on the activities of mass-murderers] is eventually gunna find its way among airport-industry-based turd wurld criminal aliens.

And that the solution to the problems of any such airport-industry-based turd wurld criminal aliens is that they clear out of Our Nation and return to their own?

That aught to shake US off their criminal tails!

No?

[Lion's Cub]

What good is a deportment order? I'm sure these illegals will comply with it and report to the border for crossing...

Unless they remain in jail until physically escorted to the border, where their return across it can be documented, this is just more smoke and mirrors.

[DoughtyOne]

Cry me a river Salas, you ignorant s--t! The INS has every right to check for citizenship upon entry. If you don't like it here, perhaps they'll treat you better in Tijuana.

[grania]

So what is the INS supposed to do? Start checking all of the blonde/blues that they see to check if they are latinos here illegally?????

If women of Northern European descent were to break out of prison, I would expect that the police would ask me questions because, in an attempt to arrest them, they would have to profile. But, since I'm not doing anything wrong, I would shrug it off and thank the authorities for doing their jobs.

These illegals and the groups that favor them over citizens obeying the laws obviously have no respect for the laws or the security of the country.

[Brownie74]

Thanks for the pings. Good article and good links 'Tooth. Another bookmark.

[TomGuy]

These are just the first steps. Middle Eastern illegals, Mexican/Hispanic illegals. Next, the INS will go after the worst offenders of all--the CC's. But the INS has to move in smaller steps.

The worst flood of illegals, those CC's, are everywhere now. One can't even drive down any street, go into any restaurant or business, look out ones front door, without seeing them--those CC's.

The government and INS has tried for decades to restrict the CC's, but they keep coming, sneaking over the border. CC's make no effort to assimilate into our culture.

This flood of illegal CC's must stop!
No more. Stop the flood of illegal Caucasian Canadians overflowing our country!

[I'm being facetious, of course. CC's are great people. My satire is to point out that the flood of illegals is usually from non-Caucasian countries and are usually not European heritage, either.]

[Feckless]

This is the same la-la land where arresting OJ just because he had motive, oppurtunity, and a truckload of physical evidence linking him to the murders was "racist".

Liberals can't justify criminals' actions so they attack any methods to curb or arrest them.

[Marine Inspector]

Racial profiling isn't illegal. I use it all the time to arrest illegal aliens. Illegal aliens especially from Mexico have a certain look and mannerisms that say "Hey YO! I'm here illegally?"

I've tried to explain this to people before, but they don't believe me. When 150 passengers from a flight from Guadalajara, enter the federal inspection area, the illegals might as well be holding a neon sign that says "I'm Illegal". They stand out. The way they talk, walk and act is different from legal Mexicans and US citizens. Ilegals from different countries have the same problem.

After inspecting thousands of people, it just becomes second nature, and it actually has very little to do with race.