ACLU asks Border Patrol to stop enforcement during Texas hurricane
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Friday, August 25, 2017
The ACLU asked the Border Patrol to shut down its checkpoints in Texas Friday, saying illegal immigrants fleeing Hurricane Harvey shouldn’t have to worry about being nabbed.
“By keeping checkpoints open, the Border Patrol is putting undocumented people and mixed-status families at risk out of fear of deportations,” Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy at the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement.
The ACLU said past practice has been to nix the checks during storms, but the Border Patrol is refusing to do that this year.
Ms. Praeli said that was a “disgusting” decision, and hinted that she thought bigotry was a motive.
“Everyone, no matter the color of their skin or background, is worth saving,” she said.
In a statement to the Texas Tribune, Customs and Border Protection said they wouldn’t hinder anyone trying to escape the storm, but they are a law enforcement agency and have to do their duty too.
A number of interstate highways and roads out of the hurricane’s projected path in south Texas have Border Patrol checkpoints, where drivers are asked several brief questions by agents. The agents are trying to gauge whether those crossing through are in the country legally or engaged in other criminal behavior such as smuggling.
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