Comments

1. Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl! wrote:

   I groaned when I first read about this upcoming show while reading Variety a few months ago, because I just knew right away what it meant: demonizing brown and dark skinned folks.

   Yeah, thank you, USA!!! The Land of so-called Liberty, Justice and Equality…. my ass!

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 11:32 am ¶

2. Renee wrote:

   I don’t see how this show could have avoided being racist or political. This kind of work continually relies upon racial profiling. While it is denied the rate at which people of color are stopped in comparison to whites makes it more than clear that it is the brown peoples of the world that are considered evil. In this great big push they ignore the Tim McVeighs of this world who are intent on destruction and violence.
   It seems that the idea of “safety” overwhelming acts as justification of racist behavior. It plays right into the white fear social meme. Whiteness fears people of color not because of our skin but because of fear of loss of privilege and an awareness of the human rights abuses committed against us.

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 11:51 am ¶

3. MJ wrote:

   Oh, don’t get me started about the Canadian/US border!
   I am a Canadian citizen and I live close to the border (about 45 mins away).
   Starting this January, every Canadian has to show a birth certificate at the border to be allowed in the USA, which is no problem to me since I was born here, but I imagine it would be hard for any immigrant that doesn’t have their citizenship, yet. Furthermore, starting this July (or is it June?) of this year, it will be change to a passport. EVERYBODY will have to show their Canadian passport to be allowed in the USA, or spend I don’t know how many time filling out papers in their office trying to convince them to let you in.
   This will be made waaayyy harder for any people of color, or any people that, like I mentioned before, do not have their Canadian citizenship.
   My boss, who is a white woman, married an Arab and told me the other day that they never go go to the USA because they are basically never let in. They’ve been turned back many times, mostly, she says, because of her husband’s obvious Arabic last name that arise suspicions in the officers.

   It is frustrating to know that so many of our goods, on both sides, can cross the border without problem, but that people have to be controlled so much.

   If it is hard for me, a white Canadian woman, to enter the United-States, how obviously harder and unfair would it be for a person of color?

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 12:19 pm ¶

4. Compa wrote:

   @MJ…

   To be fair, it was always hard for immigrants to cross the border- as a Canadian Permanent Resident you need a visa to enter the US anyway, in combination with your Permanent Resident Card and your passport from your country of Citizenship. So really nothing has changed for Permanent Residents (with the exception of the card which actually makes it easier to travel).

   As a citizen (whether brown or otherwise) you need to either show a birth certificate (if born in Canada) or a Canadian Citizenship Card (if born outside Canada). You need the Citizenship card anyway if you want to get a passport as a Canadian born outside Canada.

   Basically the people most affected by the new regulations (must have passport to cross border) are Canadians born in Canada (white, brown or otherwise), who are used to travelling across the border on a birth certificate, as well as non-Canadians (Permanent Residents or others) who are now forced to do fingerprinting and iris scans (Canadians are not, as yet).

   That’s not to diminish the fact that border services have undoubtedly become much harder on brown people generally speaking, but the reality is that it is the unequal enforcement of the regulations, and not the regulations themselves, that is the biggest problem here.

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 12:38 pm ¶

5. gatamala wrote:

   so the kid is sneaking across the border to get wasted – turn up the rainbow dial to red.

   The parentage question is solely based on physical characteristics. If he were white, his parentage would not be an issue.

   The shows p.o.v. is inherently political. DHS is a cabinet level department. Get real.

   DHS has a PR department like every other gummint agency (remember that show LAPD?).

   Hopefully, no DHS funds were allocated to the show in the form of grants or otherwise.

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 12:53 pm ¶

6. notsuprised wrote:

   Lol, I don’t know why anyone would be surprised by this. I live in Arizona and anytime we drive to California there are checkpoints near the border, they are supposed to stop people randomly BUT every time my friends and I (we’re black) pass the checkpoints the cars they pull over have a whole bunch of brown people. Random my ass!

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 1:43 pm ¶

7. Lisa J wrote:

   @MJ don’t know if this will make you feel any better but they will soon require US citizens to show a passport to come back into the US. I think you already have to do it if coming back to the US by air and I think by car is about to be added.

   I agree though about the racial profiling aspect though. Shoot, I as a black native born US citizen get so many stops in the airport, both in and out of the US, sometimes with my US passport and sometimes with a DHS government ID than most of the white U.S. born folks I know (I’m a contractor who supports IT in Customs and have no affiliation with TSA- long strange story how progressive me ended up here) . I even got more screening in the airport at Tortola, a small caribbean islandthat is largely black that is part of the UK, than I did the same day flying out of Washington DC’s National Airport, a mile or two from ground zero at the Pentagon! Sometimes I think I’m on a list or maybe it is just being black or maybe I just look shifty. THe last time I got pulled I was joined by two white Germans while I waited for my extra screening. I also have a friend who has a German sister-in-law, who is white, who got STRIP searched while travelling in the US without her American husband but with 8 or 9 year old twins who had US Passports and then when she got a little upset and said they wouldn’t do that if her hubby was with her they had the NY State police escort her on the plane once they let her go. CRAZY. I said if they treat a white woman with children like that what the heck do they do with black and brown folks? Scary. TSA needs to chill out some or put some more thought into who they stop and not just some knee-jerk stuff.

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 2:12 pm ¶

8. MK wrote:

   Yes! More great TV for the mind. As if reality TV couldn’t kill anymore brain cells.
   I agree, this show probably will promote xenophobia, though it’s not the intentions of the producers. Then again, when has that ever stopped racism?

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 2:27 pm ¶

9. Fatemeh wrote:

   Actually, U.S. citizens already have to show a passport at the border to reenter the U.S. I visited Vancouver, B.C. in March and everyone in every car was required to present their passport.

   Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 2:34 pm ¶

10. Paz wrote:

    I saw a promo for the show the other day and was disgusted. The promo portrayed them as if they were really heroes protecting the country. It’s just government propaganda for an industry that has a high turnover rate.
    I have family in Tijuana and whenever I visit them and we cross the border to San Diego, I notice at the checkpoints that the employees who are POC are bigger assholes, while the white employees are generally more well-mannered. My uncle suggested that it’s because for people who usually have less power, when they gain a sense of power they feel a sense of entitlement or privilege over the rest of the disenfranchised. Ugh. Not sure if that statement made much sense but I’m barely starting to have my coffee.
    *Tips for Traveling Muslims

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 2:49 pm ¶

11. Monie wrote:

    I saw the show. My main problem with it was that it was astoundingly boring.

    I think it might have been interesting to show the points of view of the Police and those detained. All we got was the police view of things which is always distorted.

    But since Homeland Security (that name Homeland Security is just so stupid, sounds like something from a corny movie) helped ABC with the show this is what you get.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 3:24 pm ¶

12. RB wrote:

    I don’t think the show is entirely lionizing the agents. Certainly the show is biased in favor of the various DHS agencies, but does show mistakes and things most people don’t know.

    I didn’t see much evidence of racial profiling in this episode. I don’t recall a single individual picked out because of race, in every case there was an overt signal to the officers of suspicious activity.

    A mistake shown was a family traumatized because the father shares name and date of birth with an armed and dangerous fugitive.

    On the issue of racial profiling, what about the white european bellydancer who was interviewed by a ‘brown’ INS agent? He suspected her based on answers to his questions, as is usually the case regardless of skin color.

    The ‘brown’ individuals shown were not picked out based on race. You focus on the episode at the Canadian border, but this was the clearest case of non racial suspicions!

    The individuals at the canadian border were not just ‘brown’ with Iranian roots. They acted suspiciously, dropping off passengers who attempted to cross on foot while the driver attempted to take the vehicle through. They had a known associate who is on the terror watchlist and were linked to MDMA production in the RCMP database. They also had fake IDs and gave up the name of the ID maker, forwarded to the RCMP for apprehension. Probably a dry run to see how the Border Patrol responded.

    What about the ‘brown’ family who set off the radiation alarm? No profiling there, and after brief verification of medical history they were sent on their way. They seemed totally at ease and appreciative.

    The ‘brown’ guy at the Mexican border? Paid 2000 to smuggle a woman in under his seat, the metal was cutting into her. Again, suspicions raised by non racial signals such as fake plates and evasive answers.

    The show also had various drug smuggling activities and how they are detected, as well as how unsafe food is kept out of the country.

    I don’t think you all are seeing this show fairly. I think they take pains not to show racial profiling, which I agree exists. Pure racial profiling is bad security, but you people conflate it with character profiling, an essential element for border security.

    As for the Timothy McVeigh commenter: Ever heard of Waco? Ruby Ridge? Those people were white and were subjected to arguable human rights abuses. Timonthy McVeigh wasn’t ignored because he was white, he was ignored because there were no security measures in place to counter that specific threat. Today you cannot purchase the materials he used in his bomb without stringent verification & examination. The fertilizer he used is not even available. Additionally, character profiling for new McVeighs has been added to the arsenal, right along with those for ‘brown’ people.

    The article is a great example of glossing over key details to make sure this show fits into your narrative.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 4:47 pm ¶

13. Eva wrote:

    I’m glad I read this. I had heard of that show but never had any desire to see it.

    In 2005 I was going the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, when we got to the border, the patrol person got on the bus. 95% of the people on the bus were black. There were two women speaking Spanish and the patrol person asked them where they were born and to see their passports. I am certain they were picked on because they were speaking Spanish, period.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 5:00 pm ¶

14. Lisa J wrote:

    @RB, I haven’t seen the show so I can’t comment on the actual racial profiling in the show itself but since you state that the people on the show were stopped b/c they were doing something illegal or suspicious weren’t the people (or their leaders or family members) involved in Ruby Ridge or Waco incidents behaving suspiciously? Also, didn’t individuals engage in a firefight with authorities in both cases and resist arrest? I think that is a little different from being racially profiled.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 5:42 pm ¶

15. Jorge wrote:

    @ Paz

    I know what you mean. Some people here in Tijuana hate Mexican-American (or any other Latino) or Filipino border guards because they are seen as “tougher” than their Caucasian co-workers. I’ve heard the explanation your uncle gave you before, and I think that’s the “nicest” one among the others I’ve heard.

    With the border waits going as long as 3 hours, I can see how this would lead people to vent their frustrations this way.

    I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve heard about civil right violations or human right violations when it comes to tourists or legal immigrants.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 5:47 pm ¶

16. RB wrote:

    @ Lisa J

    My only point in bringing up these incidents is referencing the comment made by Renee who said the government “ignore the Tim McVeighs of this world who are intent on destruction and violence.”

    Both Ruby Ridge and Waco resulted from the government paying attention to weapons violations. They didn’t ignore white people behaving suspiciously. Ruby Ridge was a result of FBI infiltration into the Aryan Nations. Waco was the result of a UPS driver noticing a package full of weapons.

    The existence of immediate suspicious behavior should be the first question answered when looking for racial profiling.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 6:58 pm ¶

17. Fatemeh wrote:

    @ RB: I’m not going to get into a useless argument with you about racial profiling; neither of us will change our minds.

    But the portrayal of EVERY SINGLE PERSON held for questioning/arrested (I would bet money that Noura, the “white” bellydancer, was of Middle Eastern decent despite her Swiss citizenship/accent) as brown is problematic. The portrayal of everyone of suspicion (proven innocent or not) construes those who do wrong (and those who MIGHT do wrong) as only brown people.

    The national narrative on crime in the media is based around people of color, which shows itself in stereotypes of black men as rapists, latinos as petty thugs and robbers, and Middle Eastern/South Asian people as terrorists. ABC’s television show propagates this same rhetoric.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 9:39 pm ¶

18. Sobia wrote:

    @RB:

    I haven’t seen the show yet but your description has now totally convinced me that the show is racist! (not that I didn’t believe you Fatemeh )

    All the incidences of Brown people being picked out for what you seem to describe as legitimate reasons just further propagates the belief that all Brown people trying to get into the US are somehow bad people engaging in some sort of suspicious if not criminal behaviour. In today’s day and age of strong xenophobia in the States, this show is just making things worse. Why even show these individuals? Why not just show White people coming into the US? Who cares if its not proportional – Americans will never think all White people coming into the US are suspicious and unsavoury but they will think that of Brown and Black people.

    “Pure racial profiling is bad security, but you people conflate it with character profiling, an essential element for border security.”

    First…who and/or what do you mean by “you people”?

    Second….race is included in the character profiling. Non-White race means a suspicious character prone to criminal behaviour (which criminal behaviour depends on which race they are dealing with). It’s effing racial profiling.

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 9:54 pm ¶

19. Sobia wrote:

    @Paz:

    “I notice at the checkpoints that the employees who are POC are bigger assholes, while the white employees are generally more well-mannered.”

    I wonder if this may have to do with the fact that as employees they’re being watched more strictly by their superiors. If they are as well-mannered as their White counterparts they may be seen as being easy on “their own.”

    Though, so far, my experience has been the opposite – anytime I’ve crossed the border and gotten a non-White customs person they’ve been way nicer. Knock on wood!! Let’s hope its stays that way God willing. (Or preferably that they all start acting nice)

    Posted 08 Jan 2009 at 9:59 pm ¶

20. Lxy wrote:

    Homeland Security USA: All Hail The American Police State

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GQ0xP-an6U

    What red-blooded, flag-waving, Support-the-Troops American fascist, er … patriot wouldn’t love this new reality TV show?

    Posted 09 Jan 2009 at 12:10 am ¶

21. little mixed girl wrote:

    Re: travel between the US and canada…
    in 2000 when i first went to canada, i don’t think i needed anything more than my state ID to enter, but i was told before i left that i needed a copy of my birth certificate to enter canada and come back to the US.
    so, that’s nothing new.
    and i’ve been showing my passport when entering/leaving the US since 2003…

    Re: the show
    i was interested to see what it would be like, but i didn’t see most of it.
    (law & order > homeland security)
    i didn’t have high hopes for it, and i wasn’t too impressed by what i saw.
    a number of the customs guards that i’ve come across just have a bad attitude, and are unnecessarily “tough”.

    Posted 09 Jan 2009 at 12:33 am ¶

22. RB wrote:

    @ Fatemeh & Sobia

    First, I see your point about the impact of showing primarily brown people on the show. I agree this reinforces stereotypes about race and criminal behavior. I think this is a separate issue from the debate over racial profiling on the show.

    The specific instances in the show were not examples of racial profiling being used to detain or question individuals. In each case suspicion emerged from another source, in many cases before the subjects’ race was even known. Splitting up before the border crossing, attracting the attention of a drug dog, setting off radiation detectors, fake license plates, license plate checks indicating an armed and dangerous criminal etc.

    On the point of stereotypes, would the show be acceptable if more white people were included? I will be interested to see if the ratio changes, I did see a preview for the next episode. A white man wearing a cowboy hat is discovered to have a human skull in his possession. . .

    Another point to Sobia’s discussion of the show furthering the belief that all brown people entering the country are bad. The family that set off the radiation detector were brown, but the first guess of the border patrol officers was that someone had undergone a medical procedure. This was an example of not assuming that brown people were bad.

    Reading again I realize that “you people” sounds bad, I apologize. I meant those who argue that racial profiling is the only motivation behind some stops that based on character profiles. Race may be a factor in character profiling, but it is of limited usefulness.

    Two examples: Say you are looking for white supremacist gang members. Your profile includes white race, tattoos, prison history, associates, etc. Race is a definitional component to this profile, but still cannot be used as an absolute. The NLR include hispanics in their ranks, with many members associating with hispanic gangs and marrying hispanics.

    A second instance is terrorists who justify their actions based on a perverted understanding of Islam. You can’t really effectively detect these people based on race or religion. Most Muslims of every color do not subscribe to the extreme views of the terrorists. At the same time both these traits are useful parts of a character profile. A terrorist motivated by their understanding of Islam will be Islamic. They also have a higher probability of being from certain countries (and of a corresponding race).

    The problem is these are hard profiles to intelligently follow. Many DHS agencies are full of undertrained officers on a power trip, basing decisions purely on race. At the same time, this show does demonstrate the principles guiding many of the intelligent and good officers. If good people are turned off from working for DHS agencies because they view them as full of dimwitted racists then a self fulfilling prophecy is created.

    At least this show provides a glimpse at smart individuals with fulfilling careers, hopefully attracting more of the same to the agencies. Certainly the retired Navy cryptologist and ‘brown’ agents helped undermine my pre existing notions about INS.

    Posted 09 Jan 2009 at 12:21 pm ¶

23. MS wrote:

    In order for the immigration officers to be effective in what they do, racial profiling is ncecessary. I am Iranian and I don’t mind if I am racially profiled and I feel even more safe knowg that this is done. It is interesting to me that everyone comes up with comments on how it is unfair to be profiled and don’t even have a better solution.

    Posted 09 Jan 2009 at 1:12 pm ¶

24. Rchoudh wrote:

    I personally believe security officials should receive better training over what to look for in finding possible suspects, with character profiling taking precedence over racial profiling. As was mentioned by someone else earlier, alot of times these officials show they’ve been poorly trained by randomly picking out people to be suspicious of strictly based on race. This is sloppy and lazy detective work and doesn’t help them catch the real culprits in time if at all.

    Posted 10 Jan 2009 at 12:32 pm ¶

25. Anita wrote:

    I rode a ferry that took on passenger cars in Texas the other week. Tell why out of 30 or so cars lined up to board, mine was one out of 3 that got pulled over to be searched. The car full of Indians. Random…I’m sure….

    Posted 10 Jan 2009 at 12:51 pm ¶

26. Sha wrote:

    All I have to say is that ABC is owned by Disney. ‘Nuff said!!!

    Posted 11 Jan 2009 at 4:39 am ¶

27. Evelyn wrote:

    I just responded on the question of “riot” and its cause. we have forgotten that Government is of the people by the people. Why is it that homeland security is put in place to deal with this particular issue? This is very military? this is too military? this is a message and some of us are very aware of the message that show like this is sending out to the masses. this is mind control like the commercial that we do not care for our children to view, because it is brain washing the way that we shop. the show is as real as it can be and not bring the masses of poor up in arms! but this show getting its is very clear message out to make those that are not receiving slave wages the false sense of security that they are safe. I have never heard of some one being murdered at a funeral? if we are not safe burying our dead at a funeral the reality of this show is not showing who/what they really are. Homeland is the government at home and abroad. Homeland is not joke/nothing to play with. We are so sheep like that our government has the nerve to send out a message that this show is a reality show? this is a very dark agency world wide. many police and military personal are leaving this agency in droves because they can not do the reality of this agency.

    Posted 14 Jan 2009 at 2:26 pm ¶

28. Marie wrote:

    I watched this show today and they showed people from Sweden and Italy being refused entry into the US. They also detained several Caucasians who were attempting to smuggle people in from Mexico.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 3:10 am ¶