USDA Says Border Patrol Shouldn’t Be Acting as Interpreters
2 Jun 2012 On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “USDA” civil rights office found that the U.S. Forest Service discriminated against Latinos in Washington State by using U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents as interpreters and as law-enforcement support in routine matters.
The decision by the federal agency came in response to a complaint filed by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) on behalf of one of its clients, whose name is not being released publicly to protect her privacy. The complaint stemmed from an incident in May 2011 in which a U.S. Forest Service officer called Border Patrol during a routine stop in the Olympic Peninsula. The incident led to the death of the partner of the complainant in the case.
This is the first legal ruling addressing the issue of whether the use of Border Patrol agents as language interpreters violates civil rights protections.
According to the New York Immigration Coalition, in New York, a disturbing pattern has emerged of Border Patrol agents responding to local law enforcement requests to serve as “Spanish-language interpreters” for Latino community members stopped for traffic violations, and participating in 911 dispatch activities. Border Patrol agents are frequently called to “translate” even though the targeted individuals may be conversant in English or do not speak Spanish. In some cases, these stops appear pre-textual and potentially due to racial profiling. Community members report that Border Patrol agents have immediately asked for immigration documents of individuals before interpreting and have engaged in aggressive and intimidating behavior. Given how New York State is now under the Secure Communities program is a cause for greater concern in terms of these border patrol interventions.
To address these concerns on Thursday an alliance of advocacy organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition, filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) for records related to the use of Border Patrol agents as interpreters for local law enforcement agencies, a practice that has now been labeled as “discriminatory” by a federal agency. A separate FOIA request seeks the release of information about Border Patrol agents’ participation in 911 dispatch activities. The alliance of organizations that submitted these FOIA requests includes the American Immigration Council, the Alliance for Immigrants & Reform Michigan, Migrant Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and One America. The requesters are represented by the American Immigration Council’s Legal Action Center.
Via / New York Immigration Coalition, Seattle Weekly
The decision by the federal agency came in response to a complaint filed by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) on behalf of one of its clients, whose name is not being released publicly to protect her privacy. The complaint stemmed from an incident in May 2011 in which a U.S. Forest Service officer called Border Patrol during a routine stop in the Olympic Peninsula. The incident led to the death of the partner of the complainant in the case.
This is the first legal ruling addressing the issue of whether the use of Border Patrol agents as language interpreters violates civil rights protections.
According to the New York Immigration Coalition, in New York, a disturbing pattern has emerged of Border Patrol agents responding to local law enforcement requests to serve as “Spanish-language interpreters” for Latino community members stopped for traffic violations, and participating in 911 dispatch activities. Border Patrol agents are frequently called to “translate” even though the targeted individuals may be conversant in English or do not speak Spanish. In some cases, these stops appear pre-textual and potentially due to racial profiling. Community members report that Border Patrol agents have immediately asked for immigration documents of individuals before interpreting and have engaged in aggressive and intimidating behavior. Given how New York State is now under the Secure Communities program is a cause for greater concern in terms of these border patrol interventions.
To address these concerns on Thursday an alliance of advocacy organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition, filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) for records related to the use of Border Patrol agents as interpreters for local law enforcement agencies, a practice that has now been labeled as “discriminatory” by a federal agency. A separate FOIA request seeks the release of information about Border Patrol agents’ participation in 911 dispatch activities. The alliance of organizations that submitted these FOIA requests includes the American Immigration Council, the Alliance for Immigrants & Reform Michigan, Migrant Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and One America. The requesters are represented by the American Immigration Council’s Legal Action Center.
Via / New York Immigration Coalition, Seattle Weekly
- Tags: border patrol
No comments:
Post a Comment