AP
DALLAS, Texas -- A spokesman for the Mexican Consulate of Dallas says police in North and East Texas profiled illegal immigrants and exceeded their authority in checking the immigrants' residency status.
Consulate officials blamed the increased scrutiny on "Operation Wrangler," a plan announced last week by Gov. Rick Perry to crack down on drug and human smuggling along the Mexican border with coordinated law enforcement throughout the state.
Eduardo Rea Falcon, a Consulate spokesman, said Mexican officials believe 33 of 47 men, women and children held over the weekend at a federal immigration center in Dallas were profiled by police.
The immigrants were picked up in Fort Worth, Weatherford, Marshall and Denton County. Rea said they were stopped for traffic violations, asked for immigration papers and handed over to federal officials for deportation.
Rea said it's illegal for local law enforcement officials to ask for people's immigration papers.
Posted by tyne at January 31, 2007