INS should racially profile suspects

I haven’t been much of a fan of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service since the jackbooted Elian Gonzales raid, but I do believe in
the agency’s core mission — to interdict, intercept, process and deport
illegal aliens.

At the same time, it’s been nigh impossible to support much of what
Attorney General Janet Reno has done during her tenure in office.

Wait — these two seemingly different observations are related.

On Monday the Associated Press

reported that the INS admitted it
used racial profiling in a 1998 case involving an Indian and Pakistani smuggling ring.

According to AP, INS supervisors in Dallas ordered agents to photocopy and check every Indian restaurant and Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in the area for possible illegal Indian and Pakistani immigrants. About 50,000 Indian and Pakistani-Americans live in the Dallas area.

The operation netted mostly Mexican illegals, but several of the target suspects were identified. The effort broke up a $220 million ring involving the smuggling of 12,000 persons; it netted 30 arrests.

At a press conference in 1998 — while announcing the details of “Operation Keep and Seek” — Reno lauded the INS’s work. Though the AP article didn’t say much else about Reno, you should know that INS

falls under the Department of Justice’s jurisdiction — which means, it falls under Reno’s jurisdiction.

So in other words, the “hate crimes,” anti-racial profiling, “anything-for-minority-civil-rights” Clinton administration Justice Department engaged in racial profiling to turn results in a major illegal alien smuggling case. Yet, they dare investigate local police departments accused of the same thing.

Worse, the INS even knew that its operation was probably “improper.”

AP said the INS “supervisors … acknowledged they proceeded with the operation even though some agents raised questions about its legality and political sensitivity.”

In depositions last week, “Supervisory Special Agent John W. Page and District Director Bill Harrington said they were acting on no specific investigative lead or probable cause when they ordered the identity checks, the absence of which some civil-rights experts say indicates racial profiling,” AP said.

Hold on — “depositions”? What’s that about?

The depositions came as a result of a lawsuit filed by three white INS agents who are claiming — are you ready for this? — that INS discriminated against them during this operation.

Ho, ho, ho.

According to the Associated Press, “the information about the (operation and its resulting alleged profiling) emerged from a federal personnel discrimination complaint filed by three INS agents who claimed they were excluded from the operation and lost subsequent promotions because they are white.”

Had these white INS agents not been racially slighted by INS — which is accused of racially slighting others — we likely would have never found out about this outrage. In fact, it sounds to me if those white agents wanted to take part in this operation. Further, I believe they would have kept their mouths shut about the profiling if they had gotten the promotions they seek.

All too believable in this, the most “ethical” administration in history.

Just about the only thing in this sordid, hypocritical and ironic tale that is not completely ridiculous is the Immigration Services’ justification for using race as a guideline when attempting to figure out whom to look for. Illegal aliens — the most common aliens these days, anyway — are not from around here. So, should INS be looking for Anglo-Saxon, White European types?

In a word — no. Only a moron would do that.

Dallas INS spokesman Lynn Ligon said, “There was information (in the investigation and resulting operation) that indicated that these people were going to these types of places and maybe to some of the doughnut locations.

“Would you send your agents out to German restaurants?” she asked, according to AP. “I don’t see it being a major offense to take a list out of the phone book of restaurants where you strongly suspect these people may be.”

Absolutely right. It isn’t “racial profiling” if you’re looking for a specific ethnic group in places where members of that ethnic group hang out or work. Duh.

Look for ethnically different persons but don’t use ethnicity as your guide. Keep illegal aliens out but don’t use their race to find them. Enforce the immigration laws of the United States, as long as you don’t offend someone in the process.

Welcome to the beginnings of a new Kosovo, America. If this foolishness doesn’t stop, I give us 20 years — or less.