Checking Murderer’s Immigration Status Is Racial Profiling

Police in a Missouri town say checking the immigration status of a previously convicted Mexican who recently murdered two people would have constituted illegal racial profiling. 

It turns out that the violent criminal, Manuel Cazares, is indeed an illegal immigrant but was released after several encounters with police, including a conviction for property damage and several traffic violations. Cazares’ girlfriend had also filed restraining orders against him for stalking her.  

Last week, the illegal immigrant murdered the ex-girlfriend and her male companion by repeatedly stabbing them with a kitchen knife. The atrocious crime took place in Hannibal, a Mississippi River community of 17,000. Responding to public outrage, the town’s police captain held a press conference to say that tracking illegal immigrants is a federal responsibility and "not within the authority" of his department.

To check a person’s legal status in the country solely on race is racial profiling, said Hannibal Police Captain Jim Hark, who pointed out that the federal government is very strict on any law enforcement taking part in race based actions. 

The 32-year-old Cazares had a Tennessee driver’s license, a Florida state identification and a Social Security card. He worked for years at a local restaurant and his boss claims the documents seemed authentic. Had they been scrutinized, perhaps two innocent people would still be alive.