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Chelsey Boyle
Mr. Hull
Honors English II
22 February 2016
Racial Profiling
Do not forget that once a Japanese always a Japanese. I say it is of
vital importance that we get rid of every Japanese whether in Hawaii or in
the mainland. They violate every sacred promise, every canon of honor and
decency. This was evidenced in their diplomacy and their bombing of Hawaii.
These Japs who had been there for generations were making signs, if you
please, guiding the Japanese planes to the objects of their iniquity in order
that they might destroy our naval vessels, murder our soldiers and sailors,
and blow to pieces the helpless women and children of Hawaii. Let us get rid
of them now? (Orr 25). Following the bombing at Pearl Harbor, loathing fell
on Americans of Japanese descent, a clear example of racial profiling. Racial
profiling is a highly debated practice with much controversy. It has caused a
huge political impact throughout history. A solution is needed for the
discrimination that still occurs today. Racial profiling is still affecting society
and government today.
Although racial profiling creates hatred towards many Americans, is
still speculated as a valid practice. Racial profiling is more than
discrimination; it is a crime that is outlined in law. Racial profiling refers to
the discriminatory practice by law officials of targeting individuals for

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suspicion of crime based on the individuals race, ethnicity, religion, or

national origin (Racial Profiling: Definition). In the beginning, racial profiling
started as accusations but has progressed to the point where it is outlined
clearly in law. Section 3 of Bill S2481, the End Racial Profiling Act, was passed
in 2015 to eliminate speculation (Orr 11). This has helped law enforcement
stop illegitimate accusations of racial profiling. The Chinese Immigration Act
of 1882 was the earliest valid federal use of racial profiling (Huq 56). The
restriction of immigration from people only of Chinese decent, started the
debate on the prejudice in government. Moreover, racial profiling also
includes discriminatory omissions by law enforcement; an example being not
arresting a man because he is white (Racial Profiling: Definition).
Not everyone finds the fault in racial profiling. The fine line between
being politically correct and endangering the lives of Americans is the main
debate between the two sides. Many claim that during a time of war, it is an
unfortunate necessity to profile American citizens if they are of heritage of
the country we are fighting. The belief being that investigating those who
hold similar beliefs is a logical course of action. Statements made include:
Stopping terror and crime is worth the inconvenience and that personal
rights should not be above national security (Orr 91-92).
The opposing viewpoint is that racial profiling violates personal
freedoms in the constitutional amendment. Walter Enders and Todd Sandler
discovered in 1993 that new screening procedures targeting race, increased
attacks on stationary targets (Huq 57). Others object to profiling the ethnicity

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America is at war with. The belief being when the enemy has a specific
physical appearance, we will meet that face with anger and fear (Orr 90).
America has a long and terrible history with prejudice against minorities and
racism. After all the progress the country has made towards equality,
supporting racial profiling will undo all the hard work (Orr 17).
Furthermore, racial profiling has affected America throughout history.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor inflicted hatred on hundreds of thousands of
Americans of Japanese heritage. On December 7, 1941, bomber planes from
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,000 Americans. Afterwards, anger
fell on American citizens, with no connection to the bombers but ethnicity.
Therefore, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066,
authorizing the military to remove anyone who was considered a national
security threat, and to place them in designated areas. Anyone with
Japanese ancestry, even some WWI veterans, were evicted from their homes
and taken to internment camps. More than 120,000 American citizens were
placed in overcrowded camps with insufficient supplies. An estimated 1,862
died while in these camps. In 1976 President Gerald Ford announced that a
national mistake had been made. 12 years later the Civil Liberties Act was
signed by Ronald Reagan which provided 1.65 billion dollars to those
Japanese internees (Orr26-28).
However, the progress that was starting to be made, was stopped after
9/11. Congress authored a bill in June 2001 for special training to be given to
law officials to stop racial profiling. This success did not get very far, as 9/11

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soon ensued. The blame was placed on 19 Arab men, which turned suspicion
to all Middle Eastern men (Orr 12). Soon, the Department of Justice began
bringing in Middle Eastern men who were not citizens and questioned them
about terrorist acts (Orr 43). More than 1,200 men were all detained but
under no crimes; they were all Middle Eastern men. Fear escalated
throughout America, now all Muslims were being targeted and mosques
everywhere were under fire (Orr 36). General John Ashcroft gave a speech
saying, To those who pit Americans against immigrants your actions only
aid terrorists, for they erode our unity and diminish our resolve, (Orr 12).
The Holocaust was one of the most well-known examples of racial
profiling. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored
persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its
collaborators. In January 1933, the Nazi first started to gain power. Over 1
million Jews were killed because they were deemed inferior by Nazi regime.
These people committed no crime, but were still murdered by the thousands
(Introductions to the Holocaust).
Racial profiling has not gone away and is still affecting the lives of
people today. Airport security is unfairly targeting Muslims and Middle
Eastern people. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has the
right to subject any suspicious character to questioning and to pull them
off of their flight (Orr 9). This was the case for Portuguese- born, U.S. citizen
John Cerqueira. On December 28, 2003, John and two other Israeli men were
taken off an American Airlines flight, and were interrogated for two hours.

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They were then released, but not allowed to book another plane. John filed a
lawsuit but did not win the case because airlines have the right to remove
passengers (Orr 7). Racial profiling in airports occurs frequently due to the
effects of 9/11. Not only is this practice profiling, but it does little to stop
plane hijackings. We are training our screening officers in behavioral pattern
recognition, looking at ways people behave that will actually suggest they
are trying to hide something. (Chertoff 49).
Similarly, profiling is often used in common police encounters.
According to a report done in 2005, minority drivers were twice as likely to
be searched during traffic stops as white drivers (Orr 11). In August 1998, a
retired U.S. Army Sergeant, Rossano Gerald, and his son were pulled over
twice driving across the Oklahoma border. Rossano claims he was only pulled
over because he was African American, since he did not break any laws. The
second stop lasted two hours, during which they were placed in a closed car
with heat on. Halfway through the police shut of the patrol cars camera after
realizing what they were doing is against the law. After the event, Rossano
spoke out to try to end the discrimination against African American drivers.
Police abuse against people of color is a legacy of African American
enslavement, repression, and social inequality. One of the core principles of
the Fourth Amendment is that without probable cause an individual cannot
be detained. However, when racial profiling by law enforcement started
expanding, the Supreme Court's sensitivity to Fourth Amendment rights was
dwindling. The debate of the legality of unauthorized traffic stops went the

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U.S. Supreme Court in 1996 in a case called Whren vs. the U.S. The Whren
decision has given the police virtually unlimited authority to stop and search
any vehicle they want. The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is still
fighting for a retrial to overturn the ruling (Harris).
New laws are trying to improve racial profiling today. President George
Bush banned racial profiling in 2003, but the prohibition was not applied to
national security investigations and covered only race, not sexual
orientation, religion, or nationality. The Obama administration is about to
announce new reforms to prevent racial profiling by federal law enforcement.
However, many agents at the Department of Homeland Security will still be
allowed to single out passengers for random screenings. Civil rights groups
have demanded that President Obama reform these changes when he was
first elected president. The Justice Department has been working on the
changes for five years (Horwitz and Markon).
In short, racial profiling is still common in American society and culture.
It is still being debated and argued. Many deaths could have been avoided in
the past had it not been for racial profiling. Therefore, citizens must realize
the affect it still has today and must find a solution. The reality that many
people must face hate, terror, violence, and even death just for being a
certain race or religion is inexcusable. If things do not change, America will
repeat history and another genocide or war will be imminent if change does
not happen. If people of a certain culture are still seen as the enemy, the
future will be as dark as the past.

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Works Cited
Chertoff, Michael. The Why Behind Airport Security. USA Today. (2006):
11. Rpt. In Racial

Profiling. Ed. Kathy Hahn. Detroit:

Greenhaven Press, 2011. 48-54. Print.

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Harris, David. Driving While Black: Racial Profiling on our Nations

Highways. American Civil Liberties Union. 2 Feb 2010. Web. 2 Feb
2016. <https://www.aclu.org/report/driving-while-black-racial-profilingour-nations-highways>.
Horwitz, Sari, and Jerry Markon. Racial profiling will still be allowed at
airports, along border despite new policy. The Washington Post. 5 Dec
2014. Web. 2 Feb 2016.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/racial-profiling-will-still-beallowed-at-airports-along-border-despite-newpolicy/2014/12/05/a4cda2f2-7ccc-11e4-84d47c896b90abdc_story.html>.
Huq, Aziz. Three Reasons Racial Profiling Wont End TerrorismBut it might
make it worse. ColorLines Magazine. (2010): Rpt. in Racial Profiling.
Ed. Kathy Hahn. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. 55-57. Print.
Introduction to the Holocaust. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
29 Jan 2016. Web. 1 Feb 2016. <www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?
Moduleld=10005143>.
Orr, Tamra. Racial Profiling. Edina: ABDO Publishing Company, 2010. Print.
Racial Profiling: Definition. American Civil Liberties Union. Guide Star. Web.
4 Jan 2016. <www.aclu.org/racial-profiling-definition>.