Immigration advocates, lawyers, and a growing number of U.S. citizens say more Hispanics are being racially profiled by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers, according to news reports and a new lawsuit.
Axios on Wednesday said in its review of news reports, social media videos, and claims by advocacy groups that there were more instances in which U.S. citizens alleged they were wrongfully detained.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups Wednesday filed a class action lawsuit alleging that immigration agents are racially profiling people.
"There is a real sense that it is open season on anyone who appears to be an immigrant," Eva Bitran, director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU of Southern California, told NPR.
"They are arriving, corralling people before asking one single question, just based on their location and their appearance. Often, they are handcuffing people even before they have asked for their papers, or even after a person has said 'I am a U.S. citizen, I have a green card, I have every right to be here.'"
Marissa Montes, director of Loyola Law School's Immigrant Justice Clinic, recently told the Boyle Heights Beat that "people who are U.S. citizens or lawful residents [are] getting stopped, getting asked questions, even detained, or arrested.
"This is something I had suspected was going to happen because of [President Donald] Trump's rhetoric and because the U.S. had a history of deporting U.S. citizens," she added.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denies the claim.
"Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE," McLaughlin said in a statement.
"DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence," she added. "We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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