A news story in our local paper comments about complaints by the Mexican consulate that illegal immigrants are being profiled.

To that, I have only one word: Duh.

See, here's the thing. They're illegal. That's "not here legally" to you lay people. Which means that by their very existence they are breaking the law. And, umm, unless I'm sorely mistaken, profiling criminals is not wrong.

In the time I've lived in Nevada and Texas, I've been frustrated by the mountains of extra paperwork I've had to fill out to prove I'm not here legally. All in place because the government fears accusations of profiling. All adding to the cost and inefficiency of our government. In the past three years alone, I have had to TWICE contact government offices with my ID information because some government clerk screwed up and punched a wrong number ten years ago when the government switched computer systems, and my obviously caucasian appearance hasn't clued them in to the fact that I'm not here illegally (the most recent, oddly enough, involved my Selective Service registration...something I haven't worried about in more than a dozen years...I don't know if there's  anything I should read into that, but I'm keeping my eyes open).

You also have to look at the source of this complaint: the Mexican consulate. While they protest they aren't supporting the illegal immigration, the truth is, their economy is so dependent on the masses of illegals who "envio su diniero" every payday right back to Guadalajara. They need for illegals to stay in this country, and every arrest, every capture, threatens their fragile economy, an economy they don't have the cajones to build up the old fashioned way, through hard work, ingenuity (and, let's be honest, not a little chicanery and guile). Basically they're acting as the ACLU for illegals.

The truth is, the only way to catch criminals in a nation of 300 million is to profile. And it's pretty damn silly to be verifying the ID of a large caucasian man when the young Hispanic next to him gets a pass because we're afraid of accusations of profiling. To put it simply, to apprehend criminals, you scrutinize those who fit the PROFILE.