MIM Notes 210                   May 15, 2000

U$ admits oppression of black wimmin by Customs

by MC44

In April, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report 
documenting "racial profiling" by the United Snakes Customs 
Service. The government reported on the harassment and 
disproportionate intrusive searching of Black wimmin airline 
travelers, supposedly suspected of international drug smuggling. 
According to the report, "Black women were nearly twice as likely 
to be strip-searched on suspicion of smuggling drugs as white men 
and women ... [and] three times as likely as African American men 
to be strip-searched."(1)

The study also concluded that men and wimmin were equally likely 
to be carrying drugs illegally, and that Blacks and whites were 
equally likely to be caught with illegal drugs.(1) But "on the 
basis of X-ray results, black women who were U.S. citizens were 
less than half as likely to be found carrying contraband as white 
women.... The most pronounced difference [in treatment of 
passengers] occurred with black women who were U.S. citizens ... 
[who] were nine times more likely than white women who were U.S. 
citizens to be X-rayed after being frisked or patted down."(1)

Over the past year more attention has focussed on local police 
departments to collect data on the "race" and ethnicity of people 
they stop and detain in highway traffic. That the Customs Service 
-- part of Amerikkka's border police -- practices the same 
discrimination of oppressed nationals is not surprising. But the 
fact that the Customs service has more legal latitude than regular 
police to suspect and detain people, and operates as a more 
overtly military outfit, makes this report significant.

According to the Washington Post, "Customs has far-reaching 
powers, upheld by the courts, to take travelers to holding rooms 
for pat-downs. Customs inspectors look for passengers who give 
evasive answers to their questions, exhibit signs of nervousness 
or give off other clues, such as wearing thick-soled shoes."(1) In 
other words, just like in traffic stops on the highway, people who 
are suspicious of the pigs are more likely to be harassed, 
detained, arrested, and/or imprisoned. In January, the United 
Snakes Supreme court ruled that "flight at the mere sight of a 
police officer could often, in the context of other factors, be 
suspicious enough to justify the police in conducting a stop-and-
frisk search."(2)

Such increased police powers exist at the beginning of a long 
chain of oppressive treatment of oppressed nationals in the 
criminal injustice system. Once arrested, oppressed nationals are 
more likely to be found guilty, given longer sentences, etc.

According to the GAO Report, customs agents rely on "behavioral 
analysis" -- including "the recognition of physiological signs of 
nervousness. Examples include cold sweats, flushed face, and 
avoiding eye contact." Agents also employ such "observational 
techniques" as "recognizing physical discrepancies in 
appearance."(3)

In the case of Customs, if "a frisk or strip-search fails to ease 
an inspector's suspicions, the passenger can be handcuffed and 
taken from the airport to a hospital or clinic where doctors probe 
the person's body or take X-rays. Travelers may be forced to drink 
laxatives to enable inspectors to monitor bowel movements. 
Detention times can last from hours to days."(1)

Of the more than 100,000 travelers subjected to searches in 1997-
98, four percent "underwent strip-searches and 1 percent were X-
rayed." Black men and wimmin were X-rayed nine times more often 
than whites, and Latinos were X-rayed four times more often than 
whites.(1)

The U$ Customs Service has responded to the charges by insisting 
that they now have a higher level of scrutiny over agents' 
determinations of suspicion to conduct an intrusive search -- such 
as requiring the supervisors' approval before doing the search. 
Agents also will supposedly receive more "training." But training 
and supervision of pigs by other pigs will not solve the problem 
of national oppression.

Notes:

1. The Washington Post, 10 April 2000.
2. New York Times, 12 January 2000.
3. "U.S. Customs Service: Better Targeting of Airline Passengers 
for Personal Searches Could Produce Better Results." 17 March 
2000. GGD-00-38. http://www.gao.gov.