Talk about racial profiling

“Living while Arab” in this country has become an accepted reason to be stopped and questioned by law enforcement. However, we notice there hasn’t been much of a cry to investigate this profiling by the federal police, much less stop it.

But it goes much further than a traffic stop. If you are a male Muslim immigrant from an Arab nation, it is likely the federal government will investigate you and if any minor immigration technicality can be found, they could have you detained and held without bond, which makes it difficult to communicate with your family and legal representation. It’s a “lock up all the suspects and maybe no one will notice” strategy that flies in the face of fairness and our Constitution.

The strategy is working partly because these detainees can’t easily tell the news media their story, or are afraid to. Coverage of these issues usually prompts discussion of the topic and a public examination. And while it seems a majority approve of the arrests and detentions, it needs a thorough debate.

The case of an imprisoned Sacramento immigrant of Arab descent is now being told (see “Searching for Osama”) He doesn’t appear to be a terrorist, but it seems his family is being traumatized in the name of national security.