By: Daniel Nardini
If true, it is very troubling to put it mildly. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actually had a quota system of how many undocumented should be arrested, processed, imprisoned and then deported. The documentation from ICE’s own records was obtained by the ACLU through the Freedom of Information Act. The ACLU obtained the information based on an incident in Jackson County in North Carolina. Police near Asheville conducted a seat belt check. Also with the police officers were ICE agents. When the police and agents came across drivers that looked “Latino,” these drivers were stopped and arrested. In all, 15 people were arrested. All those who did not look Latino were waved off.
To put it mildly, this is racial profiling. Worse, it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which strictly bars stopping and arresting people without due process. Those who were arrested included not only undocumented but U.S. citizens. Either way you look at it, their civil and constitutional rights were violated. Therefore, the ACLU has a case. But it shows a very, very disturbing pattern of ICE which, contrary to what it said earlier, claimed it did not have a quota system for how many “illegals” should be arrested and deported. This documentation seems to be proving otherwise. It is just as equally troubling that U.S. President Barack Obama should be talking about finding a way to deal with the undocumented in this country while at the same time letting his underlings violate the rights of not only undocumented but also of U.S. citizens for looking “Latino.”
This is beginning to show a serious inconsistency in government policy in regards to immigration. On the one hand, U.S. President Barack Obama wants to try and strike a deal whereby many undocumented can stay in this country. On the other, he is allowing ICE to deport people, even for minor crimes that should not lead to deportation, under some quota. How can one immigration law work when it is contradicted by another? It says how inconsistent U.S. immigration law is, and why it needs to be completely revamped. America’s immigration system is full of deadwood, inconsistencies and regulations that make no sense. True, much of this is not Obama’s fault. All of this had been built up over almost 30 years (and especially under former U.S. President George W. Bush, who added many security regulations to immigration shortly after September 11th, 2001). Also, Republican opposition to changing the immigration system has not helped. But Obama only has one term left, and if he is to be remembered for being a reform president, then reforming U.S. immigration must be one of his top priorities.
The ICE Quota
By: Daniel Nardini
To put it mildly, this is racial profiling. Worse, it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which strictly bars stopping and arresting people without due process. Those who were arrested included not only undocumented but U.S. citizens. Either way you look at it, their civil and constitutional rights were violated. Therefore, the ACLU has a case. But it shows a very, very disturbing pattern of ICE which, contrary to what it said earlier, claimed it did not have a quota system for how many “illegals” should be arrested and deported. This documentation seems to be proving otherwise. It is just as equally troubling that U.S. President Barack Obama should be talking about finding a way to deal with the undocumented in this country while at the same time letting his underlings violate the rights of not only undocumented but also of U.S. citizens for looking “Latino.”
This is beginning to show a serious inconsistency in government policy in regards to immigration. On the one hand, U.S. President Barack Obama wants to try and strike a deal whereby many undocumented can stay in this country. On the other, he is allowing ICE to deport people, even for minor crimes that should not lead to deportation, under some quota. How can one immigration law work when it is contradicted by another? It says how inconsistent U.S. immigration law is, and why it needs to be completely revamped. America’s immigration system is full of deadwood, inconsistencies and regulations that make no sense. True, much of this is not Obama’s fault. All of this had been built up over almost 30 years (and especially under former U.S. President George W. Bush, who added many security regulations to immigration shortly after September 11th, 2001). Also, Republican opposition to changing the immigration system has not helped. But Obama only has one term left, and if he is to be remembered for being a reform president, then reforming U.S. immigration must be one of his top priorities.