Israel Correa is a 2nd generation U.S. citizen born in Phoenix, Arizona to a Texas mom. However, none of those facts mattered when ICE "black boots" arrested and held Correa in one of the government's shameful sweeps of Latinos in search unauthorized immigration.
We were taught that the U.S. Constitution amd the Bill of Rights were safeguards against such abuses. And most Americans are appalled when they see certain foreign governments rounding up people and blowing up their homes as a form of group punishment due to the actions of certain individuals.
Of course, the American government has been guilty of exacting group punishment in direct violation of constitutionally protected rights. Native Americans, African Americans, Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Muslim Americans, Latinos and others have been victimized in the past.
I would only ask that nonLatino Americans imagine that they're Mr Correa for a second. You've been arrested--and your rights as an American citizen have been stripped. You're scared, confused and angry. How can this happen to you--an American citizen? You realize at that point that in this country--in the year 2008--the rights of some count more than the rights of others. If you're Latino and brown-skinned, you're only allowed a watered down set of rights. Otherwise, how could such a thing happen?
What is very sad is that some Americans--too many--believe that it's perfectly fine to arrest and hold Mr. Correa and his kind. They view it as necessary to protect their kind and what they view as their country. To hell with the brown, yellow, black or red Americans that get in the way.
Click here to watch CNN's heart-breaking interview with Mr. Correa.
Another reason why we must vote for change! Yes, We Can!
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