At public locations as far as 100 miles north of the Southern California border, reports of arrests of 150 suspected illegal aliens, mostly Mexican nationals, were cited in The Washington Times and the Los Angeles Times. 

These sweeps are scheduled to continue indefinitely and show a change in the Border Patrol’s immigration enforcement strategy. Before this apparent change in policy, agents were not stationed in these newly created interior checkpoints, but were posted along the U.S.-Mexico border and at nearby highway checkpoints.  

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner oversees the Border Patrol.  According to Bonner, he has directed the CBP to preserve the integrity of our nation’s border - including interior checkpoints -  as a critical enforcement tool in this mission.  To implement this change in operation standards, Bonner named Tucson sector Chief David Aguilar, who is a leading proponent of aggressive enforcement.

Officials at the Hermandad Mexicana Nacional in Ontario, Calif., have accused the Border Patrol of racial profiling and said the arrests concern Southern California’s Hispanic community.  Rumors that officials were arresting people outside supermarkets and restaurants have sent the residents into hiding and created a virtual standstill in the business communities. 

Even though specific citizens have reported such activities, according to Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, these fears are unfounded.  She said that department officials would not go into commercial places and ask people to see their papers.  Kice added that residents should not show documents or give personal information to an officer unless proper identification is shown.  She also asked that people report any suspicious activity.