Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Eugene

(62,672 posts)
Thu Jan 16, 2014, 07:41 PM Jan 2014

ACLU seeks probe of alleged abuses at Arizona border checkpoints

Source: Reuters

ACLU seeks probe of alleged abuses at Arizona border checkpoints

BY DAVID SCHWARTZ
PHOENIX Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:43pm EST

(Reuters) - A civil rights group has demanded a federal probe into the operations at U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in Arizona, charging that agents routinely abuse their authority and violate the constitutional rights of local residents.

Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union, in a complaint, demanded an intensive review of the policies and practices that govern these checkpoint operations scattered along the roadways near the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Many Border Patrol officials do not understand - or simply ignore - the legal limits of their authority at checkpoints," James Lyall, an attorney for the ACLU in Arizona, said in a letter on Wednesday to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.

Among the abuses cited in the complaint were extended interrogation and detention unrelated to determining a person's immigration status, unwarranted searches, racial profiling, verbal harassment and physical assault.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/16/us-usa-border-arizona-idUSBREA0F1Y620140116
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Civil Liberties»ACLU seeks probe of alleg...