Скачать или смотреть Immigration authorities settle suit from U.S. women detained after speaking Spanish

Two U.S. women who were detained by Customs and Border Protection after they spoke Spanish at a convenience store in Montana more than two years ago have reached a settlement in their lawsuit against the Trump administration, the American Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday.The women, Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, both U.S. citizens, were chatting in Spanish as they went to buy eggs and milk on the night of May 16, 2018, in Havre, a small town about 35 miles from the Canadian border. That's when a Border Patrol agent overheard them, Suda has said previously.The agent, Paul O'Neal, "singled out, detained, and interrogated" the women "because he heard them speaking Spanish," the lawsuit alleges.The women recorded their exchange with O'Neal on video. In the video, Suda asks him why he is asking them for their identifications.May 21, 201800:55"Ma'am, the reason I asked you for your ID is because I came in here, and I saw that you guys are speaking Spanish, which is very unheard of up here," O'Neal responds. Suda then asks him whether she and Hernandez are being racially profiled; O'Neal responds no."It has nothing to do with that," he says. "It's the fact that it has to do with you guys speaking Spanish in the store, in a state where it's predominantly English-speaking."In a statement after the settlement was announced, Suda said: "We stood up to the government because speaking Spanish is not a reason to be racially profiled and harassed. I am proud to be bilingual, and I hope that as a result of this case CBP takes a hard look at its policies and practices. ... No one else should ever have to go through this again."The lawsuit, which the ACLU filed last year on behalf of Suda and Hernandez, cites violations of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures." The ACLU argued that O'Neal had "no reasonable suspicion or probable cause justifying seizure and detention" other than "relying on their use of Spanish as a justification and proxy for race."During the litigation process, O'Neal also handed over "a number of inflammatory and racist text messages confirming his anti-immigrant bias," according to the ACLU.Two CBP representatives said in an email that the agency "won't have anything more outside the details of the settlement," which says it "is in no way intended to be, and should not be construed as, an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States, its agents, servants, or employees, and it is specifically denied that they are liable to the plaintiffs."Caitlin Borgmann, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement: "As if the racism they experienced at the hands of CBP agents were not enough, our clients also bore the brunt of local backlash as a result of coming forward. They both ultimately left Havre for fear of their families' safety."The settlement involves a monetary sum, according to the ACLU, which declined to provide additional details."CBP's behavior was unconsciona