Thread: Officials Arrest Two Dozen Undocumented Immigrants

Officials Arrest Two Dozen Undocumented Immigrants

June 7, 2007 07:37 PM PDT




COLUMBIA, Tenn.- Maury County Sheriff's deputies and federal agents looking for an undocumented immigrant facing drug charges arrested him and 23 other people.

Critics think they went too far.

Federal Immigration Customs Enforcement agents were looking for Juan Martinez, but when they searched worksites in Maury County for him, they also arrested nearly two dozen other people.

The 23 other people were not involved in the drug case. They said they were in the country illegally.

"That's just racial profiling," said attorney Gregg Ramos. "That's ethnic profiling. That's illegal and it shouldn't be tolerated by anyone who values our Constitution."

Ramos said it's wrong if federal agents randomly target Hispanics and ask if they are documented.

"These individuals are being honest when asked if they're legal. Obviously all these people are not bad people, but they're not following the law," said Maury County Sheriff Enoch George.

George said his deputies help the ICE unit. The agents would not talk on camera Thursday night with NewsChannel 5, but George said the agents can simply ask for documentation even if there's no suspicion of a crime.

"We don't have the authority to pick up people, ask them for their driver's license, their Social Security number, their identity, without probable cause," George said. "But the ICE agent, whenever they come in, they have those credentials. So they have more authority than we do."

The legal question is how far does that authority go?

Ramos said federal agents take advantage of the fact that most Hispanics don't know they don't have to answer the questions about their documentation.

This wasn't the first group arrest of undocumented immigrants in Maury County.

In May, another two dozen people were arrested the same way.

The sheriff said it's one of his priorities. He said he'll continue to work with Immigration Customs Enforcement agents.

Ramos said if the arrests continue in this manner it's likely some will soon be challenged in court as unconstitutional.

More than 50 undocumented workers have been arrested in Maury County during the past six weeks.







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Way to go!! I am sick of hearing about racial profileing ,what they should do is ask everyone, even the white people then they won't be racial profiling

"That's just racial profiling," said attorney Gregg Ramos. "That's ethnic profiling. That's illegal and it shouldn't be tolerated by anyone who values our Constitution."

Hey, you idiot!!! Illegals don't give a crap about the constitution!! That's why they sneak in, and backstabbing SOB's like you represent them!!