Cases of U.S. citizens detained over immigration status emerge in Florida

[Derechos]

One early morning two weeks ago, Christopher Zambrano was biking home on the 79th Street Causeway near North Bay Village when one of several men in black clothes riding in an SUV ordered him to stop.

Fearing imminent robbery, Zambrano pedaled faster to get away but the man in the SUV switched on flashing lights and through a loudspeaker ordered him to pull over.

As he got off his bicycle, Zambrano heard the man ask for his papers.

“I said, ‘What do you mean papers?’ He said ‘ID.’ I told him I had nothing on me, not even a driver’s license, because I don’t have a car.”

As the man asked if he was legally in the country, more men clad in black converged on the scene in other SUVs near a bus stop on the eastbound lanes of a bridge linking Miami and North Bay Village.

Zambrano said he was a citizen, but the men who detained him refused to release him.

They summoned a Miami-Dade police officer who then transported Zambrano to jail because he had an outstanding warrant for driving with an expired license in 2008.

Zambrano is the latest U.S. citizen to complain about being detained and questioned about his immigration status despite having been born in the United States.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/17/2274562/cases-of-detained-citizens-emerge.html#ixzz1PqdKLbWQ

See also Activists: U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/03/2257633/activists-us-citizens-detained.html

[MountainLaurel]

1. This is unfortunately not uncommon

Expedited deportation has meant that US citizens have been sent straight to Mexico even though they've never been there and don't speak Spanish.

[Angry Dragon]

2. For the life of me I can not figure out why so many people

are against the New Police State.

Don't they feel safer knowing that a SWAT team is
standing near by to confront that brown skinned woman
pushing that baby stroller down the sidewalk,
that brown skinned man or boy riding his bike,
or those two browned skin men discussing the days
events in Spanish??

I know I will feel safer when the day comes when I can
watch as all the brown people are asked for papers on
every street corner.

It is good to be white!!

[w0nderer]

3. as someone who rides in soFla

down here it is probably less about color than it is mode of transportation

north European (i pass for North American look and accent) getting asked for ID by bcis/cops averages to a monthly basis
when i ride/walk as transportation (counted over 7 years), normally i just tell them 'let's see your ID/badge first' then 'reaching for ID'(always a good idea with LEO), then i'll remove LPR card and show it. (No officer should ever hesitate at displaying his badge and id)

quite a few of my friends that ride get the same thing no matter what color skin, mostly citizens

color might seal the deal and do the game over part
but in south Florida, it seems that according to LEO/BCIS (and actually people in cars largely have this attitude too) walking and riding a bike for transportation is for illegals, homeless and suspicious people like liberals
i'm LPR and i got a place to stay... hmmmm

profiling isn't all about color, it's about setting simple rules that convert what transport,what people wear, how they move, into rules that can be applied by largely untrained staff instead of training them in the skill of reading people/clothing/surroundings
and when the staff isn't taught to read people or even taught to properly apply the rules of profiling they mess up and things like the article happens

i guess their argument is he's riding a bike so he must be illegal or homeless or both
at least he's penniless or can't afford a car so he can't afford to defend himself legally..yay..defenseless target

the fact that the guy could be riding a 2500 dollar race, randonneur or touring bike, with 2 panniers and a top bag worth 200 a pop
one with a laptop worth 1000, smartphone on handlebar worth 300 dollars, watch on wrist worth 300, accessories and drywick/underarmor clothing at 75-200 dollars shirt and pants...100-200 dollar bike shoes and so on.

i.e. the setup is more than what a BCIS officer makes in a month (unless horribly overpaid)

the only rection you'll get is: bicycle==can't afford car or can't get drivers license==ALIEN==GRAB N GRILL

or if the person points out price of set up as part of a logical argument that they could have bought a car

He is sweaty, he's dirty from being on the road==HE STOLE IT==GRAB N GRILL

had this happen to a customer of mine..the guy is a lawyer who commutes by bike to work
i figure bcis got their fingers burned there a bit at least i hope so

and had it happen to me

the guy in the article had everything against him
Riding a bike
color of skin
when stopped didn't have ID at all (yeah i know, the law doesn't require it..for citizens)

the problem there is only 1 sort of person can legally be undocumented: citizen, but one other sort of person is also undocumented
..surprisingly 'undocumented alien'

all Legal aliens have to by law carry ID/Passport and present it on request from LEO or BCIS

[indepat]

4. Zambrano didn't have his effin' papers: so you gotta have your effin' papers,

eh? :patriot: