In California, fear of racial profiling grips Latino communities / Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT - AFP/File
In California, fear of racial profiling grips Latino communities
Since immigration police raided his car wash near Los Angeles last month, Jose has been constantly watching the video feeds from his 11 surveillance cameras.
The raid carried out by federal agents outraged the 25-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear that his business, which employs many undocumented Latin American migrants, will be targeted again.
"It felt like racial profiling," he said while showing AFP footage of the operation in Downey, a suburb of Los Angeles.
In the videos, immigration officers chase and capture two car wash workers with dark complexions.
Meanwhile, a lighter-skinned colleague calmly got into his car and drove away without being stopped.
The two men arrested have no criminal records, with one of them working at the car wash for nearly 20 years, Jose said.
"Our 10 workers that day were undocumented, they could have arrested any one of them," he told AFP.
Jose said he felt it was "not a coincidence" that the two arrested workers had darker skin than the others.
A month after Los Angeles was rocked by protests against sweeping immigration raids carried out by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump, the second-largest US city has returned to calm even as raids continue in the region.
In Montebello, near Downey, a raid on an auto body shop sparked criticism against aggressive immigration officers.
Witness videos showed an employee being pushed against a gate. He shouted "I'm American, bro!" before being released.
- Profiling? -
"I believe that they are racially profiling people, which is unconstitutional. They are almost just driving around looking for people who look Mexican," said Mario Trujillo, a Downey councilman who recorded about 15 raids in June.
The Trump administration has emphatically rejected the accusation.
"Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE," said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
"We know who we are targeting ahead of time," she said, adding that agents were working "to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America's streets."
Preliminary figures from last month's arrests appear to contradict her statement.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) figures obtained by the Deportation Data Project, which collects US immigration enforcement data, 722 migrants were arrested in Los Angeles and the surrounding area from June 1 to 10.
An analysis by the Los Angeles Times showed that 69 percent of those arrested had no criminal convictions, and 58 percent had never been charged with a crime.
"This administration lied to us. They're not targeting criminals. They're going for people walking on the street, workers that look undocumented, Latino," Trujillo said. "That's why people are getting mad."
Six Republican California state senators sent a letter to Trump last week, expressing concern over "raids targeting violent criminals, which have resulted in non-criminal migrants being swept up as well."
"ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also creating widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status. This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries," the letter said.
In Downey, several Latin American migrants told AFP they now carry their immigration documents when they go out, for fear of arrest because of their appearance.
"Permanent residents like us are not safe either," said a 23-year-old Mexican worker at another car wash, despite her having permission to be in the country.
S.Sosa--ECdLR
