Chandler Roundup
Encyclopedia
The Chandler Roundup was a law enforcement
operation in Chandler, Arizona
, in 1997 in which hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants were arrested. In 2004 hearings of the U.S. Senate, it was described as "the only major ethnic profiling incident actually related to immigration".
The operation was known at the time as "Operation Restoration", and was a joint operation between local law enforcement officers and federal authorities. Over five days in the summer of 1997, from July 27 to July 31, officers on bicycles patrolled Chandler asking suspected Hispanic
people for proof of citizenship
, and arresting those who could not provide proof.
432 illegal immigrants were arrested in Chandler and later deported. However, many U.S. citizens and legal residents were also stopped and arrested, largely on the basis of their skin color, leading Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods
to concede that their civil rights
had been violated.
A precise count of the number of people affected by the raid is not available because the INS does not collect data on the number of people who were stopped but later determined to be legally in the U.S. The investigations that followed the roundup focused on a set of 91 formal complaints filed by 71 different people concerning incidents during the raid in which they were stopped and asked for papers. Of these 91 incidents, 23 led to arrests; three of the arrestees were found to be illegal immigrants. The other 20 arrestees were a mix of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, and were eventually released. Romero writes that "all were of Mexican ancestry or Latino" and that there is no record of any white person being detained in the raid.
The lawsuits arising from the civil rights violations caused by the operation led to costly settlements. Police chief Bobby Joe Harris was reprimanded for the manner in which the raid was conducted, and the incident led to a recall bid against the mayor of Chandler and two city council members.
Arizona SB1070, a 2010 law requiring local law-enforcement officers to check the documentation of suspected illegal aliens, has been compared to the Chandler Roundup by critics who predict that the new law will lead to similar civil rights violations.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
operation in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
, in 1997 in which hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants were arrested. In 2004 hearings of the U.S. Senate, it was described as "the only major ethnic profiling incident actually related to immigration".
The operation was known at the time as "Operation Restoration", and was a joint operation between local law enforcement officers and federal authorities. Over five days in the summer of 1997, from July 27 to July 31, officers on bicycles patrolled Chandler asking suspected Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
people for proof of citizenship
Citizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
, and arresting those who could not provide proof.
432 illegal immigrants were arrested in Chandler and later deported. However, many U.S. citizens and legal residents were also stopped and arrested, largely on the basis of their skin color, leading Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods
Grant Woods
Grant Woods served as attorney general of Arizona from 1991 until 1999. A Republican, he was first elected in 1990 and was reelected in 1994. He was selected by his fellow Attorneys General as the nation’s top Attorney General in 1995. He chaired the Civil Rights and Supreme Court committees for...
to concede that their civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
had been violated.
A precise count of the number of people affected by the raid is not available because the INS does not collect data on the number of people who were stopped but later determined to be legally in the U.S. The investigations that followed the roundup focused on a set of 91 formal complaints filed by 71 different people concerning incidents during the raid in which they were stopped and asked for papers. Of these 91 incidents, 23 led to arrests; three of the arrestees were found to be illegal immigrants. The other 20 arrestees were a mix of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, and were eventually released. Romero writes that "all were of Mexican ancestry or Latino" and that there is no record of any white person being detained in the raid.
The lawsuits arising from the civil rights violations caused by the operation led to costly settlements. Police chief Bobby Joe Harris was reprimanded for the manner in which the raid was conducted, and the incident led to a recall bid against the mayor of Chandler and two city council members.
Arizona SB1070, a 2010 law requiring local law-enforcement officers to check the documentation of suspected illegal aliens, has been compared to the Chandler Roundup by critics who predict that the new law will lead to similar civil rights violations.
See also
- Mexican RepatriationMexican RepatriationThe Mexican Repatriation refers to a mass migration that took place between 1929 and 1939, when as many as 500,000 people of Mexican descent were forced or pressured to leave the US. The event, carried out by American authorities, took place without due process. Some 35,000 were deported, amongst...
- Operation WetbackOperation WetbackOperation Wetback was a 1954 operation by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service to remove illegal immigrants, mostly Mexican nationals from the southwestern United States.-History:...
- Racism in the United StatesRacism in the United StatesRacism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally sanctioned racism imposed a heavy burden on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans...
- Fourth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionFourth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...