The Homeland Security Department was created because of the 2001, September 11, Al Qaeda terrorist attacks against the New York World Trade Center. The devastating massacre tightened United States airline terminals to such an extent that many average Americans are aggravated by updated security measures. Osama Bin Laden’s devastating attack on the Twin Tower Buildings is generally considered an act of war.
It is almost impossible for Homeland Security Officials to resist forms of racial profiling. Arab and Muslims are always suspected of terrorist activity more than white Americans. Dark skin foreigners automatically arouse suspicion; they board airplanes and are reported when studying large public buildings. Security professionals get in trouble when they fail to effectively communicate and act on suspicious information. It took alert passengers to stop a Nigerian Muslim from igniting an incendiary device aboard a Northwest airline, Christmas day, 2009. Security personnel failed to stop Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from entering an airplane bound for Detroit.
Many people complain about inappropriate searches and detentions at airports. Homeland Security personnel are supposed to be controlled by a strict check and balance system of what their military can or cannot do. Their employees who act inappropriately risk severe scrutiny in U.S. Supreme Courts. Security professionals are human. They make mistakes evaluating probable suspicion or probable cause as police officers do. Many members of Homeland Security believe police officers are not qualified to deal with terrorist activity. They believe the military should assist them. Jeffrey H. Norwitz, special civilian agent of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service leans toward more aggressive action. Aggressive action without restraint has often been responsible for getting military officers and policemen in trouble.
Racial profiling influences our government officials viewpoint of foreign internationals whether we like it or not. “In 1985, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) instituted Operation Pipeline, an intelligence-based assessment of the method by which drug networks transported bulk drugs to drug markets, and began training local and state police in applying a drug courier profile as part of highway drug interdiction techniques.”
Often black and Mexican drivers are stopped by police officers because of their skin color more than probable cause.
Recently the Homeland Security Committee criticized TSA airport screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport of discriminating against Mexican and Dominican passengers. But professional security people are trained to beware of foreign internationals. It is difficult for them not to suspect Mexicans of smuggling illegal drugs.
The Mexican Cartel is notoriously allusive. They’ve smuggled illegal drugs for years, and killed many people. The Border Patrol and law enforcement agencies have never completely stopped them. It is understandable that Homeland Security looks for all the help they can get. Cooperation with the Mexican and Canadian borders is necessary to help curtail drug smuggling activity.
Racial profiling doesn’t always work in alerting Homeland Security about terrorists. Norwegian, Andres Behring Breivik, 32, was responsible for killing 85 people at a youth labor camp at Norwegian Island, Utoeya, and 7 more people in a car explotion in Oslo. He was a native Norwegian and wore a military cop outfit. Norwegians had no idea he was planning to massacre innocent people. He was racist, biased against Muslim rights, anti multicultural, and is considered an extremist Christian. He wouldn’t appear under an Arab or Muslim profile.
Notorious white American terrorists were never listed on racial profile lists, either.
Jared Loughner, used a “9mm Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol with a 33-round magazine.” January 8, 2011, In Tucson, Arizona, he murdered a federal judge, shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head, and injured 14 other people. Timothy McVeigh, and Terri Nichols, were responsible for the downtown Oklahoma bomb explosion that killed 168 people. They are white terrorists who alluded any serious racial profiling.
After the attack of Pearl Harbor, many many Japanese Americans were deported to concentration camps. Many of their people were unfairly suspected of terrorist activities. They were victimized by prejudice more than American Germans during two world wars, and Russians during the red scare. Germans weren’t exempt from racial profiling. They were forced to register at post offices, their financial records were closely checked, and their houses were searched to make sure they were not involved in any terrorist activities. All German textbooks were removed from some American libraries during World War II.
Russians suspected of communist activities were wire tapped by the FBI. American schools labeled them as an inferior race.
Record checking is a form of racial profiling. Today, it’s OK to be an Arab as long as he isn’t involved with anti-American activities. Terrorism in our country has taught us to closely monitor foreigners entering our country. Homeland Security work hard to ensure terrorists stay out of our homeland. President Obama enforces a program in which foreign nationals are encouraged to come into our country for special education programs. But those students are evaluated very closely with strict background checks to make sure they have no malicious motives for entering our country. It is clearly defined in the 2001 Patriot Act.
There are certain incidents in which racial profiling helps Homeland Security. A security guard may observe a Muslim, and see he is wearing an overly heavy coat in warm weather. He might be standing outside of the sidewalk in LAX airport where many parked cars are dropping off people carrying travel bags. The security guard orders the Muslim to take off his jacket, and sees his body is wrapped around with wires. He is a suicide bomber!
There is a problem with racial profiling. People are judged by the color of their skin. People are judged unfairly because of the criminal nature of radicals giving their race a bad name. The American people have been taught that it isn’t right to discriminate against foreigners unfairly. Racial profiling is considered wrong because individuals violate the rights of innocent people. In 2003, President George Bush condemned racial profiling before he left office. He banned it in response to post 9/11 discrimination against skin color and race.
Today many prominent government workers strongly believe our nation can’t afford not to conduct racial profiling. They are not afraid to voice their opinion on national newscasts and public meetings. Conservative Commentator, Ann Coulter voiced out her racial profile view against Arabs to a Harvard College campus. Fox Network talked with Mark Fuhrman on the Hannity and Colmes show about the importance of racial profiling. It concerned two Islamic men suspected of planning an attack against Washington ferries.
Homeland Security professionals have a duty to keep Americans safe from domestic and international terrorism. They will use every means to keep America safe. Foreign visitors entering our country have to expect extensive background checks. That is the price because of international terrorist attacks. It should be expected. It took years before Japanese, Germans and Russians integrated comfortably with the American community. I think it’s perfectly fine if Homeland Security keeps a closer eye on foreign internationals, but they have the difficult task of not violating innocent people’s rights, and that pressure is a difficult assignment.