South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national organization whose mission is
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national organization whose mission is to elevate the voices and perspectives of South Asian individuals and organizations to build a more just and inclusive society in the United States, submitted written testimony to the House Committee on the Judiciary regarding the impact of profiling on the South Asian community.
The hearing was convened by House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties chairman Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.). It was the first hearing on the issue of profiling in nearly a decade, titled, “Racial Profiling and the Use of Suspect Classifications in Law Enforcement.”
Various witnesses testified about the ineffectiveness of profiling for law enforcement and its impact on a range of communities. Amardeep Singh of the Sikh Coalition testified regarding the exceedingly high rates at which Sikh and Muslim passengers are subjected to additional screening by the Transportation Security Administration, and recounted an incident where his 18-month-old son’s belongings were searched by airport officials. Farhana Khera of Muslim Advocates conveyed the chilling effects that surveillance and border questioning have had on the Muslim community’s First Amendment rights.
“SAALT commends the convening of this hearing on the use of profiling by law enforcement, which has resulted in discrimination against various communities of color, including the South Asian community,” said Deepa Iyer, executive director of SAALT. “As the witnesses attested to, profiling is not only unfair and unconstitutional, but it is also a wasted use of limited law enforcement resources and strains relationships between the government and affected communities. We hope that this hearing can lay the foundation for Congress to support federal legislation that eliminates profiling in the various contexts where it arises.”
Profiling is a tactic employed by law enforcement to target individuals or communities for suspicion based upon characteristics unrelated to criminal conduct, such as race, religion, ethnicity and national origin. Such practices have long curtailed the rights of African-Americans and Latinos in this country. Since September 11, the South Asian community has been affected by profiling in various contexts, including additional secondary screening of passengers at airports; travelers being subjected to intrusive questioning at the border; FBI surveillance and interrogation; local law enforcement targeting youth in schools; and federal, state, and local immigration policies that result in profiling.
Despite evidence regarding its detrimental effects, such activities continue because existing anti-profiling policies have significant gaps. The Department of Justice’s 2003 category_idance against profiling contains significant exceptions in the context of national security and the border and does not cover profiling based on religion or national origin. In addition, Congress has yet to pass federal legislation that categorically prohibits the practice, said SAALT.
By Sujeet Rajan, The Indian Express, 20 June 2011.