The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged racial profiling

Study finds high costs, questionable return for Virginia county’s immigration policy

By | 11.17.10 | 11:58 am

A new study on the impact of anti-illegal immigration policies in Prince William County, Va., found that the Latino population decreased substantially after the policy was implemented in 2007, with a 7,700-person drop in the non-citizen Latino population between 2006 and 2008. (That number accounts for legal and More…

Few Changes Under Arizona Immigration Law

By | 10.29.10 | 9:39 am

When Arizona passed its illegal immigration crackdown, SB 1070, civil rights groups around the country argued it would lead to racial profiling and more arrests and stops of people deemed to look like undocumented immigrants. It’s tough to say whether these fears would have been realized had the full law More…

Florida Immigration Bill Allows Police to Skip Over Canadians, Europeans

By | 10.20.10 | 10:46 am

Via Change.org, some interesting information about a proposed Arizona-style immigration bill in Florida: The bill includes a provision allowing Canadians and Western Europeans to be “presumed to be legally in the United States,” even though other non-citizens must carry papers. Florida’s bill, which was drafted by Rep. William More…

Immigrants Sue Over Local Immigration Enforcement Program

By | 10.15.10 | 10:01 am

Three immigrants in Georgia filed what some experts said could be the first legal challenge to the 287 (g) program, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that allows the agency to delegate some immigration enforcement responsibilities to local police. The immigrants are seeking to have the case declared More…

Florida Republicans Move to the Right on Immigration

By | 08.13.10 | 10:35 am

After Florida Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum proposed Arizona-style immigration legislation, his primary opponent argued he proposed the bill as a political stunt. New polling data indicates that McCollum’s new tough-on-immigration stance may be winning voters: Two polls this week indicate McCollum is in the lead More…

Legal Precedent Could Complicate Potential Case Against Racial Profiling in Arizona

By | 07.13.10 | 10:33 am

On Sunday’s Face the Nation, Attorney General Eric Holder left open the possibility of another lawsuit against Arizona’s SB 1070 if it goes into effect, in this case to target potential racial profiling under the law. Responding to a question about why the DOJ’s lawsuit primarily More…

Democratic Challenger Blasts Steve King Over Latest Controversy

By | 06.16.10 | 2:13 pm

Democratic candidate Matt Campbell, who is challenging Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 5th Congressional District, has issued a stinging response to King’s statement, made to talk show host G. Gordon Liddy on Monday, that President Obama “has demonstrated he’s got a default mechanism in him that breaks down More…

Rep. King: Spot Illegal Immigrants by Their ‘Shoes,’ ‘Grooming,’ ‘Accent’ or ‘a Sixth Sense’

By | 06.15.10 | 2:25 pm

In defense of Arizona’s immigration crackdown, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said he believes appearance-based profiling can play a valuable role in law enforcement.

“It’s not wrong to use race or other indicators for the sake of identifying that people are violating the law,” King said on the House floor, calling More…

Arizona’s Immigration Bill Already Seeing Praise and Opposition

By | 04.15.10 | 12:53 pm

Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill, one of the toughest in the nation, has everyone talking. Following news of its approval by the state’s House yesterday, civil rights groups began condemning the law; anti-immigration groups began applauding it; and enforcement officers have mixed opinions — and most of this More…

Pakistani Lawmakers Decry U.S. Airport Profiling

By | 03.09.10 | 9:41 pm

In January, after the Department of Homeland Security announced that citizens of 14 (mostly Muslim) “terror-prone” countries would face extra security screening at U.S. airports, I wrote a piece predicting a backlash. The U.S. was trying to convince Pakistan, for instance, that it was looking out for Pakistani interests More…