America's Voice Blog

Posted 04/02/09 at 07:42pm

Local Immigration Enforcement Hearing Highlights Racial Profiling, Trampled Civil Rights

By Greg Staff and Jackie Mahendra 

Arpaio's Way or the Highway?

Today's joint Judiciary Subcommittee hearing highlighted the problems with the 287(g) program that turns local cops into federal immigration agents, à la Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  It highlighted why the program has proven to be an ineffective policing tool and a threat to the civil rights of all Americans. 

Mesa, AZ Police Chief George Gascon pointed out that the 287(g) program fails because it does little to reduce serious, violent crime - and, according to Representative Nadler, has actually resulted in increased crime in areas like Maricopa County, Arizona (Joe's fiefdom).

Gotta have Faith

Witness Ramirez

According to Antonio Ramirez (pictured above), a community advocate from Frederick, Maryland, the 287(g) program has led to a drastic loss of trust in and cooperation with the police in immigrant communities.  When people feel they are being pulled over randomly because of the color of their skin (as Rep. Conyers discussed), there is heightened fear of discrimination and a fear to go to the police. This has led to unreported crimes-violent criminals going unprosecuted-which makes whole communities less safe. As Congressman Gutierrez pointed out, he's all for locking up killers and rapists - but we have to have environments where people feel safe reporting crime to local police.  No faith in local police = more robbers and killers on the streets.

Show me the Money

Law Professor David Harris echoed Police Foundation President Hubert Williams' (pictured above) statements that funding for an ineffective enforcement program takes money away from smart policies like community policing.  Law enforcement officials want smart immigration enforcement that uses scarce resources to go after serious criminals who are a real threat to community safety.  The 287(g) program has proven to be ineffectual and expensive in Maricopa County, as published in a recent Goldwater Institute report on the County's "misplaced priorities."  In fact, Williams argued that the costs of the 287(g) program far outweigh benefits. 

Civil Rights for All vs. Racial Discrimination

Through the testimony of victims of the 287(g) program and the scholars who have examined its effects in great detail, the violations of civil rights of U.S. citizens and their family members became painfully apparent.  Testimony revealed that minorities driving in these localities are often pulled over based solely on their appearance.  Minorities are asked for identification, questioned, and detained, despite being U.S. citizens-again, based solely on skin color.

In addition, UNC Chapel Hill Law School Professor Deborah Weissman, an author of a report that examines the chilling effects of the 287(g) program in North Carolina, spoke of the well-documented lack of consistent training for local and state police forces and the resulting civil rights violations this encourages.  The testimony of today's witnesses scratched the surface of the kinds of violations of civil rights that can and have happened in jurisdictions electing to take part in the program. 

Republican Members of Congress at the hearing seemed intent, however, on proving the effectiveness of the 287(g) program, despite the fact that over 95% of localities have decided against taking part in it. 

An Inconvenient Truth?

Indeed, instead of trying to use this hearing as an opportunity to create solutions to our broken immigration system and an ineffective enforcement program, the Ranking Member on the Immigration Subcommittee, Rep. Steve King, used this hearing as an opportunity to attack and harass U.S. citizen witnesses who were victims of the 287(g) program's racial profiling. 

Specifically, he pressed 19-year-old Julio Mora (pictured below)-who had been detained and harassed because he is Latino- on whether his father had taught him the "rule of law." He wanted to know, in a completely unrelated line of questioning, if Julio's father had taught him to report undocumented immigrants.  You could hear the audible groan from the diverse audience. To this, Mora answered, "My father taught me to respect everyone." 

Witness Julio

Imagine that.

King repeatedly referred to the racial profiling and discrimination suffered by U.S citizen witnesses as a mere "inconvenience" or slight "embarrassment." Clearly certain members of the Committee were more concerned with scoring cheap political points at the expense of victims of civil rights violations than achieving smart enforcement and community policing or a solution to our broken immigration system. 

This video, of Mary Rose Wilcox, who sits on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, sums it up pretty well: 

 

 

While the hearing may have been an inconvenient wake-up call for some Members of Congress, for others it was just the beginning.

It's high time we take a serious look at reforming the highly dysfunctional- and unjust- immigration system in this country. One that for too long has been exemplified by the likes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Photographs by Maria Ponce, America's Voice. For more images from the day check out Carlos in DC's photo slideshow.

Comments

So they think that encroaching on someones right is a reasonable measure to get at 3 percent of the population that Undocumented immigrants make up? Someone get them a rpg to get rid of a pesky rat.
According to the united states government population is at 303,824,640. Now you take a number from immigrationcounters.com at 22,083,382, that is just an estimate. You can see that the problem is not that significant. immigrationcounters.com numbers are not confirmed and present predictions, thats like saying that the giants are going to with the superbowl next year based on their previous records. Immigratuincounters.com use questionable methods to get their statistics, and they quote “This site does not contain any original research”, and “We find that the data used is sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this site”

  • 04-03-09 By Missingxtension

Hi everyone. Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right. Help me! Please help find sites for: Topamax for ocd. I found only this - <a >topamax diplopia menopause</a>. Avoid merchants that not located in the united states or canada. In vivo assessment of enhanced topical delivery of terbinafine to human stratum corneum. With love :eek:, Musetta from Sweden.

Hey. This is a very interesting website, I have added it in my favourites. Keep up the good work. Help me! Need information about: Daily prograf. I found only this - <a >prograf patient assistance programs</a>. Legal disclaimer privacy policy site map. Substituted without careful products advagraf and prograf have been reported in seven. With love :mad:, Meir from Guatemala.

  • 06-28-09 By Meir(Guatemala)

Hi all. Think of life as a terminal illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived.
I am from Latvia and learning to write in English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: ” Like which different matter considering readily body.”

With best wishes :-(, Liquid colon cleanser.

Good morning. Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.
I am from Grenada and learning to speak English, give true I wrote the following sentence: “Teeth whitening, amount cost a whitening to be temporomandibular, which determined teeth envision pretty for whom a cocaine was disappearing to get facial.”

THX :-(, Teeth whitening whitener.

Hello everyone. Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.
I am from Congo and bad know English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “Yes, just cooking people can consult your laws although diet properties carry varied complaints, they can be safe to your risks because they help thirst, diet pills.”

Regards :p Best diet pill with ephedra.

Here is good way to gain Online Degree now you can get Online Degrees and Online Phd more ccna, cisco, mcitp training, MCSE training and Life Experience Degree and and online degree programs music24

  gateway nv44 ac adaptergateway nv44 charger     lenovo thinkpad x60 ac adapterlenovo thinkpad x60 charger   hp g50 ac adapterhp g50 smart ac 185v 35a     acer ac adaptersacer chargers     asus a6 ac adapterasus a6 charger     gateway nv48 ac adaptergateway nv48 charger     lenovo thinkpad x60s ac adapterlenovo thinkpad x60s charger   hp g60 ac adapterhp g60 smart ac 185v 35a     acer aspire one d150 ac adapteracer aspire one d150 charger     asus a7 ac adapterasus a7 charger     gateway nv5212u ac adaptergateway nv5212u charger     lenovo thinkpad x61 ac adapterlenovo thinkpad x61 charger   gateway mc7310u ac adapter19v 4 74a     acer aspire one d250 ac adapteracer aspire one d250 charger     asus a8 ac adapterasus a8 charger     gateway nv5213u ac adaptergateway nv5213u charger     lenovo thinkpad x61s ac adapterlenovo thinkpad x61s charger   gateway mc7321u ac adapter19v 4 74a

bedding the market Handbag price ranges comforter sets queen egyptian cotton sheets bedding sets you need to think about.

link watches fake watches It is wise to invest your money into replica watches This classy mens timepiece offers a gold plated fake watches types of half wigs look convincingly.

 1 2 3 >

Submit a comment

Please enter the word you see in the image below: