Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:36 pm
A report from the Michigan ACLU found that the border patrol was racially profiling and aggressively targeting Latin Americans in the state.
The Border Patrol In Michigan Has Been Targeting Latin Americans And Long-Term Residents
Here are the reports key findings:
Border Patrol engages in blatant racial profiling: The agency uses “complexion codes†to describe people apprehended
Tellingly, more than 96% of those apprehended are recorded as being
“Black,†“Dark Brown,†“Dark,†“Light Brown,†“Medium Brown,†“Medium,â€
or “Yellow.â€
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People of Latin American origin are the primary target: Although people of Latin American origin comprise just 16.8% of the state’s foreign-born population, 85% of noncitizens apprehended by Border Patrol were from Latin America.This troubling statistic is even more striking, given
the fact that the vast majority of people Border Patrol arrested entering
without authorization or attempting to enter without authorization to the
United States from Canada (more than 70%) were either citizens of Canada
or originally from a European nation.
One-third of those stopped are U.S. citizens: In the Border Patrol’s daily apprehension logs we analyzed, more than 33% of individuals are U.S.citizens. An additional 12.88% of all noncitizens apprehended were found to have some kind of lawful status in the United States.
Long-term residents are being hurt: Instead of following its mandate to patrol the Canadian border, Border Patrol is arresting people who, overwhelmingly, are established, long-term residents of Michigan. More than 81% of arrested noncitizens report a permanent residential address in the state of Michigan. The average length of residency since the last recorded date of entry was 7.36. The longest period of residency since the date of last entry reported was 26 years.
The border patrol is intentionally targeting Latin American people in Michigan, as someone who has been in the state and seen CBP vehicles fly by me as I walked down the street, I can tell you that they have been going way beyond their intended mission for years.
The House is already setting the stage for an investigation, but the Biden administration needs to take action to stop the arrest and harassment of Latin American persons in Michigan.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
