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ICYMI: “When Speaking Spanish is Considered Probable Cause”

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In Juan Escalante’s latest column for HuffPost, he breaks down the most recent examples of harassment and xenophobia Spanish speakers must endure at the hand of  President Donald Trump’s “unshackled” deportation force and loyalists.

Read excerpts from Juan’s latest HuffPost column below and find the full piece here:

Social media blazed yet again last week when a video circulated of a New York City attorney threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he heard workers speaking Spanish to a customer in a local restaurant. “This man is a racist!” the collective internet decried. “He should be disbarred.”

Days later, when a government official abused his power to harass and intimidate two women speaking Spanish to each other at a Montana gas station, the response was much different.

In the case of the former, protesters swiftly organized a party ― complete with mariachis and Latin music ― outside the apartment of the lawyer, Aaron Schlossberg, and he became a lightning rod for Americans who reject this kind of Donald Trump–inspired rhetoric and discriminatory behavior. Rightfully, Schlossberg has been repeatedly confronted by the media and area residents, ensuring that racism is confronted and not ignored at the local level.

And yes, the internet also lit up with critique and commentary after a video surfaced showing a Border Patrol agent questioning two U.S. citizens in Montana. But law enforcement agents are held to a lower standard than everyday citizens, it seems. Schlossberg’s career and reputation have suffered tremendously, even after he released a statement apologizing for his racist behavior. What will the government do to discipline the Border Patrol agent?

Likely nothing.