Monday, April 6, 2009

Border Patrol Officer Sues Homeland Security for an Unlawful Search of His Home!

How Ironic! ICE invaded a Border Patrol agent's home by mistake and he sues ICE because they refuse to explain or apologize! Now he knows how countless Latinos in the area feel when they are racially profiled and their cars and/or homes are unlawfully searched with NO Apology!
kswt.com reports:
CBP Officer Sues Homeland Security for Violating Rights
A Customs and Border Protection officer says the Department of Homeland Security violated his constitutional rights. Jim Slaughter and his wife Sheila were doing laundry last July when a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up on their doorstep looking for a fugitive.
"My wife said is this candid camera and that kind of ticked him off a little bit and he says no mam you need to step back," says Jim. The couple claims they were ordered to stand in the middle of their living room as agents were about to search their home.
"I said do you realize I'm a U.S. Customs K-9 officer at San Luis, Arizona and they all just froze. The lead agent, his eyes got real big, and he's like what? You are?" In fact Jim has worked for CBP for seven years. He says the agents immediately retreated.
In March, Jim's attorney filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security citing a violation of the fourth ammendment for protection against unreasonable searches. "You must have probable cause or a warrant to enter a home in America," explains attorney Robert Cook. "He had five armed cops and he understood and respected the firepower that was in his living room." The Slaughters are seeking $500,000 from each defendant. The couple also claims the incident aggravated Sheila's hypertension. "Here they invaded my home, think of this, my children weren't home. What if my husband hadn't of been home? What would they have done to me?" says Sheila. Jim says he filed the suit because ICE officials have refused to explain or apologize for the mix-up.

7 comments:

Tamale Chica said...

How interesting! I wonder how it would have played out if he was an Asian American or Latino instead.

Dee said...

Chica,
I thought the same thing.
My guess is that we would not be reading about it in the papers nor would there be a lawsuit.

The positive point about this article is the raids happened last year. Janet Napolitano and the Obama admininstratino are taking an entirely different approach.

Defensores de Democracia said...

California Attention !

May 19th - Election Day !

A Bright Latino 26 years old for the U. S. House of Representatives.

From the Huffington Post and other sources ;

Emanuel Pleitez - A new Millennial Latino for the U. S. Congress - Special Election replacing Hilda Solis, the New Secretary of Labor
.
Hilda Solis served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Now that she is the Secretary of Labor of Obama, there is a special election to fill the void in the House of Representatives.


The Pleitez Promise--A Millennial Breeze Begins To Blow in Washington

Some excerpts from the Huffington Post :

One of the first young Americans to bring the Millennial sensibility to Washington may come from California's 32nd Congressional District, where there will be a special election for the seat recently vacated by Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis. Democratic candidate Emanuel Pleitez is a 26-year-old who hopes to become the second member of his generation to serve in Congress. In many ways, Pleitez (pronounced PLAY-tez) represents a vivid template of the kind of leadership this new generation is poised in bring from America's neighborhoods to Washington.

Like many in his district, Pleitez is a Latino who has climbed the ladder of the American dream from its lowest rungs. His single mom, a cafeteria worker, immigrated from Mexico and struggled to raise her family on the east side of L.A. Before he reached the age of ten, Emanuel and his family had moved ten times, often finding shelter in back rooms or garages. And like millions before him, Pleitez seized the opportunities offered by education to improve his lot. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in El Sereno and went on to graduate from Stanford University.

Pleitez served on the staff of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and briefly worked on the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee. Then he moved to the private sector, working as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. This experience helped qualify him to serve on the Treasury Department Transition Team for the new Obama administration.

More information and Videos on the Election Campaign :

Milenials.com

Vicente Duque

Tamale Chica said...

Dee,

Yes, I noticed that, and what an improvement! :-)

green card visa said...

If this was not a Border Patrol Officer, we would have never heard of this story. I am sure situations like this happen all the time and go unheard of. Glad someone got some exposure and hopefully will get some closure too.

Green Card Visa said...

While I do feel for the man who had to go through this undeserved experience, I can't help but think that this is a bit of a money grab. Was this really such a terrible experience that he needs 2.5 million dollars to help him cope with it? I just find it hard to be sympathetic when it is so clear that the guy is after a payoff rather than justice.

Kay9 said...

Cops don't sue cops.
I wonder if he still has a job with CPB?

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