By Steve Neavling
Two members of Congress are calling on the Homeland Security director to address alarming allegations in a Michigan ACLU report that accused Border Patrol of “blatant racial profiling.”
The report, which is based on thousands of pages of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, says 85% of noncitizens apprehended by agents were from Latin America, even though more than 70% of those arrested in Michigan for entering the U.S. without authorization from Canada were Canadian citizens or originally from Europe. It also revealed that more than 96% of the people apprehended by Border Patrol agents were recorded as being “Black,” “Dark Brown,” “Dark,” Light Brown,” “Medium Brown,” “Medium,” or yellow.”
In a letter to Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., accused Border Patrol agents of focusing more on harassing immigrant communities than enforcing the law.
“Taken together, these findings suggest that CBP’s operations in Michigan are focused less on its lawful enforcement priorities than on harassing longtime residents of Michigan in a way that systematically and disproportionately target those of Latin American origin,” Tlaib and Raskin wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas.
Tlaib and Raskin want a meeting with Mayorkas to address the report’s findings.
“We are deeply troubled by what appear to be discriminatory abuses of authority and misuse of taxpayer funds,” they wrote. “DHS must provide a full explanation of exactly how it is addressing the problems laid bare by the ACLU.”
