Border Patrol Targeted Latinos, Not Illegal Entry: Michigan ACLU

DETROIT, MI — Border Patrol agents largely targeted Latinos rather than people trying to illegally enter the United States from Canada from 2012 to 2019, according to a 50-page report the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan released Thursday.

The report, produced by the civil rights group after a federal judge ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection to turn over its arrest records during the period, showed that only 1.3 percent of arrests involved people trying to enter the country illegally from Canada, while more than 98 percent involved people of Latin American descent.

The first-of-its-kind report “exposes how Border Patrol … uses racial profiling to target immigrants from Latin America and other people of color throughout Michigan,” the group said.

Further, the civil rights group says, “The Border’s Long Shadow” report “reveals how Border Patrol colludes with state and local police agencies to target, arrest and deport immigrants, many of whom are longtime Michigan residents.”

The report is based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection documents over nine years, including records of more than 13,000 stops that detail which police agencies initiated the stops, their location and the skin tone of the person apprehended, according to ACLU of Michigan. » Read the full report.

Dan Gilbert's $500M Investment

Billionaire and Rocket Companies founder Dan Gilbert plans to invest $500 million in Detroit neighborhoods, saying Thursday “it was very clear to us that it was property taxes that caused a majority of the blight in Detroit.” He said it’s time to extend the “energy level downtown” to neighborhoods.

The first $15 million of Rocket Companies’ investment will pay off property tax debt on about 20,000 homes. “A vast majority of Detroiters at one point were in tax foreclosure,” Gilbert said, adding that as interest and penalties compounded the debt, many people owed more than their homes were worth and walked away. » Read the full story on WXYZ.com.

Metro Detroit Headlines

• Ford Field Vaccination Site Open: Here’s everything you need to know, via Detroit Patch.
• GM Only Automaker With Female-Dominated Board: Former Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman joins the board as the automaker expands its commitment to diversity, via the Detroit Free Press.
• GOP's New Absentee Ballot Rules: Among the proposals are bans on mass mailings of absentee ballot applications and restrictions on hours voters could drop their ballots in curbside boxes, via WXYZ.

“Seriously people, hoodies and jerseys are not business attire. Neither are ball caps and sneakers. Most importantly, if you smell like marijuana don’t even think of stepping inside the Caucus Club.”

— The Detroit Caucus Club in a Facebook post reminding customers business attire is required, via the Detroit Free Press

SPORTS TALK: Detroit Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver is reshaping the Detroit Pistons roster with at least nine trades as the NBA trade deadline approached Thursday. The Detroit Free Press has live updates.

WEATHER IN A WORD: Rainy.

LET’S MAKE PLANS: The Burning Foot Beer Festival is returning to the Lake Michigan shoreline Aug. 28, Mlive.com reported. Festival events include live music, art installations, bonfires, beach camping and a variety of beers.

• Three Stooges Festival: 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Redford Theatre, 17360 Lasher Road, Detroit.
• Ultimate Fishing Show: Michigan Fly Fishing Club event opened Thursday and continues through Sunday at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi.

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