WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal agents who do border checks and screen passengers at airports would be exempt from new racial profiling guidelines that must be observed by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Those guidelines are being announced by the Obama administration in coming days, officials say.
The guidelines would restrict the ability of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to take into account religion, national origin and other characteristics during investigations.
A U.S. official familiar with the guidelines said Friday night that the new guidelines banning racial profiling exempt the Transportation Security Administration and also do not cover inspections at ports of entry and interdictions at border crossings. The official was not authorized to discuss the guidelines by name and spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement expected within the coming days.
The new guidelines apply to federal law enforcement agents but aren’t binding on local police officers who are more likely to have day-to-day contact with community members. Their formulation also long predates high-profile cases, such as the police shooting in August in Ferguson, Missouri, that have placed police treatment of minorities in the spotlight.
But the guidelines are nonetheless a significant legacy item for outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder and come during a time of national conversation about racial bias in law enforcement and community relations with police.