by the staff of El Reportero
A diverse coalition of 38 civil rights organizations led by the Sikh Coalition is demanding an independent audit of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to determine whether the agency engages in racial profiling. In a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Acting Inspector General of DHS, the groups expressed concern about recent news reports that TSA officers targeted Mexican and Dominican travelers for extra scrutiny at airports in Hawaii and New Jersey.
“We believe that the latest reports from Hawaii and New Jersey represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of racial profiling by TSA,” said Amardeep Singh, Program Director of the Sikh Coalition.
“We’ve long suspected that TSA officers are engaged in a wider pattern or practice of profiling racial and religious minorities. Only an independent, publicly-reported audit can reveal the full extent to which TSA officers are violating civil rights and liberties, wasting taxpayer dollars, and undermining national security.”
Notary Public who blew the whistle on massive foreclosure fraud, found dead
Tracy Lawrence, the notary public who blew the whistle on a massive foreclosure fraud scheme, was found dead in her Las Vegas home on Nov. 28, MSNBC reported.
Cause of death has not yet been determined, but Officer Jacinto Rivera, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman, said the case was not being investigated as homicide. She was 43.
