Is the FBI Using Racial Profiling to Target Certain Communities? The ACLU Thinks So.

By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States – The American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) has accused the FBI of using racial profiling techniques in their investigations.  The ACLU says that because the government expanded the FBI’s power since terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, the FBI has taken advantage of its newfound power.  The FBI denies that it uses racial profiling and joins the ACLU in condemning the action.

The ACLU believes the FBI's racial profiling techniques are unconstitutional and impinge on civil liberties. (Image Courtesy of Reuters)

The ACLU has reached this conclusion after reviewing documents it requested under the Freedom of Information Act.  According to Reuters, the FBI is associating certain crimes with certain races and ethnicities then using 2010 Census data to profile entire communities.  Not only is this illegal but it poses a threat to civil liberties across the United States.

Some of the demographics affected are Arab Americans and Hispanics in Michigan, blacks in Georgia, and Chinese and Russian-American groups in California, according to the Associated Press.  The documents were heavily redacted, resulting in large gaps of information.

One of the memos obtained however, was posted on the ACLU website.  The memo came from Detroit’s field office saying, “Because Michigan has a large Middle-Eastern and Muslim population, it is prime territory for attempted radicalization and recruitment by these terrorist groups,” reported the Associated Press.  The FBI defended their position by saying “Often, though, certain terrorist and criminal groups are comprised of persons primarily from a particular ethnic or geographic community, which must be taken into account when trying to determine if there are threats to the United States.

A major expansion to the FBI’s guidelines has contributed to the problem.  In 2008, the guidelines changed to allow the FBI to do new investigations called ‘assessments,’ which require no factual basis, according to Salon.com.

Hina Shamsi is the director of the ACLU’s National Security Project.  He told reporters that the memos received under the Freedom of Information Act have “confirm[ed] some of our worst fears” about FBI surveillance, reported The Washington Post.  “The FBI has targeted American communities for investigation based not on suspicion of wrongdoing but on the crudest stereotypes.”

The FBI continues to defend its position, reminding people that these mapping techniques are used widely in law enforcement and are essential to protecting the nation from further terrorist attacks, reports The Washington Post.  “To fulfill its national security mission the FBI cannot simply wait for people to report threats,” the FBI told The Associated Press.

The ACLU vows to continue its investigation and exposure of the FBI and its profiling tactics, suggesting that the FBI has stepped out of bounds and surpassed its power.

For more information, please visit:

Salon.com — Racial Profiling on an “Industrial Scale” — 22 Oct. 2011

The Associated Press — ACLU in NY Accuses FBI of Racial Profiling — 21 Oct. 2011

Reuters — U.S. Rights Watchdog Accuses FBI of Racial Profiling — 20 Oct. 2011

The Washington Post — ACLU Says FBI Uses Racial Profiling Against Muslims, Other Minorities — 20 Oct. 2011

Author: Impunity Watch Archive