State and Local Police Enforcement of Immigration Laws

Abstract

Federal law enforcement agencies responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with forceful initiatives directed at noncitizens and their communities. Several of these measures raise grave civil rights concerns. Quite apart from investigations prompted by individualized leads, officials have singled out Arab, Muslim, and South Asian immigrants for "voluntary" interviews, fingerprint registration, arrest, and deportation, based merely on these individuals' membership in certain racial, ethnic, religious, or gender groups. Federal officials have subjected many arrestees to secret or prolonged detention, without access to counsel, witnesses, or family members, sometimes without charge or for extended periods beyond the conclusion of deportation proceedings.