The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 allowed runaway slaves to be grabbed off the road. Those that interfered or helped fugitive slaves escape have been fined $500. When enslaved folks escaped, plantation house owners relied on state and native authorities officers for enforcement.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 took it a step additional. Whereas it additionally allowed runaway slaves to be grabbed off the road, it made the federal authorities chargeable for implementing the legislation, and imposed harsh penalties ($1,000 fines and as much as six-months imprisonment) on federal marshals who refused to assist.

I’m on no account equating the brutal establishment of slavery with violations of immigration legal guidelines.

Based on the legal guidelines of the USA, it was unlawful for the enslaved to flee slavery and it’s unlawful now to enter this nation with out complying with the immigration legal guidelines.

However on our streets, you’re seeing legislation enforcement use ways that have been additionally prominently utilized in 1793 and 1850.

We delight ourselves to the world that we’re a rustic based mostly on the Rule of Legislation. The Rule of Legislation safeguards basic human rights, protects towards the arbitrary train of energy, and applies legal guidelines equally and pretty to everybody, no matter who they’re.

I used to be a New Orleans police officer. All professionally skilled law enforcement officials on this nation price their salt know that the enforcement ways used are unprofessional and unsafe. If these similar enforcement ways have been utilized by any police officer, it will be unlawful in a court docket of legislation. 

After I was a decide, I discovered that the NOPD was engaged in a selective-enforcement coverage profiling Latino drivers and barred them from persevering with that observe.

I’m not advocating that we should always not implement our immigration legal guidelines.

However the way you implement the legislation is simply as necessary because the legislation itself.

The teachings of two philosophers come to thoughts. George Santayana mentioned, “Those that can’t study from historical past are doomed to repeat it.” 

G.W.F. Hegel mentioned, “Historical past teaches us that man learns nothing from historical past.” 

The query for us is, which historical past lesson will we study?

Arthur L. Hunter, Jr. is an occasional contributor to The Lens who’s a former New Orleans Police Division officer and a retired Orleans Parish Felony District Courtroom decide.

Associated