XPost: alt.los-angeles, alt.law-enforcement, sac.politics
XPost: alt.politics.immigration, talk.politics.guns
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/federal-agents-board-lakewood- councilmembers-boat-ask-for-papers/
A Lakewood, California, city councilmember is speaking out after he says
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents boarded his boat without cause
and asked for identification — an encounter he believes was racially
motivated.
Councilmember David Arellano detailed the incident in a Facebook post on
July 15, saying he was out on the water with a friend to unwind when
federal agents in “full tactical gear” pulled up alongside their boat near
the harbor.
“As we were leaving the harbor, a Border Patrol boat pulled up next to
us,” Arellano wrote. “They asked where we were going, then I heard the
driver say, ‘Ask them for their papers.’”
Two CBP agents boarded the vessel and asked both Arellano and his friend
to present identification, he said.
“No explanation. No cause. Just suspicion and being brown—just based on
how we look,” the councilmember alleged. “My friend was just as stunned as
I was.”
Arellano said the agents’ demeanor shifted once they saw the pair’s identification, which confirmed they were U.S. citizens. “Suddenly, they
were apologetic. But the damage was done,” he wrote.
KTLA reached out to Customs and Border Protection for comment. On
Wednesday, Aug. 6, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement defending the agents’ actions.
“It is shameful and wrong that Councilman Arellano baselessly accused the
brave men and women of CBP of racism, as they simply try and keep our
maritime borders safe,” said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of
DHS. “During the interview, agents requested vessel documentation—similar
to when you are pulled over in your car—and acted with professionalism and courtesy.”
According to DHS, the operation was part of a lawful inspection process in which CBP’s Marine Interdiction Agents randomly select boats for
inspection, noting that smugglers often attempt to blend in with regular boating traffic.
Arellano, however, believes the interaction was anything but random.
“I felt angry, powerless, hurt and demeaned,” he wrote. “I’m a lifelong
U.S. citizen. Born and raised here. A public servant. And yet in that
moment, I was just someone who is brown.”
McLaughlin pushed back on that assertion, adding: “It is revealing that
the councilman prioritizes race baiting and demonization of law
enforcement over the safety and security of our homeland.”
Arellano emphasized that his post was based on personal experience and
urged others to share their own.
“It’s the reality for millions of Latinos across this country—regardless
of legal status,” he said. “We all have different views and beliefs, but
we need to do better. We need to treat each other with respect, dignity
and decency.”
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November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.
Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
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