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Sessions: Immigrants Who Are Racially Profiled Are Just "Criminals" Telling "Marvelous Stories"

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It’s not a surprise, but Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (R-AL) has been one of the most anti-immigrant voices at today’s markup. While rookie Ted Cruz is making a surprising run for the title of Worst Senator for Immigrants, longtime veterans Sessions and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are making it clear they don’t intend to give up their crowns anytime soon.

While discussing the Blumenthal 10 amendment this afternoon (which allows the federal government not to reimburse a local police department for detaining an immigrant if unlawful conduct–read: racial profiling–was involved in his apprehension), Sessions made it clear just how strong his blinders are when it comes to immigrants.

Sessions argued against the amendment by saying that the standard for whether an immigrant had been inappropriately profiled was too “loose.”  Anybody could claim that they had been profiled, he claimed, because “criminals” (because if police arrest someone, he must automatically be a criminal) were likely to tell “marvelous stories.”  In his argument, Sessions implied that he just doesn’t believe racial profiling ever actually happens.

Funny, he doesn’t seem to have those standards when it comes to racial profiling itself.  Sessions was a proponent of Alabama’s HB 56 and its “show me your papers” provision, which made it easier for immigrants to be detained and arrested via racial profiling.  Arresting and detaining an immigrant because of the way he looks or acts?  Sessions had no problem with those overbroad standards.  But punishing the act of racial profiling itself?  Sessions thinks the standards for measuring that are too vague.

(Blumental 10 was soon after adopted by a voice vote.)