A transit officer in Minneapolis, whose main job is to ask "Tickets, please!", was filmed May 14 wanting "Papers, please!".
The video posted on Facebook on May 20 has over 1 million views. In the clip, the officer asks the man, "Do you have a state ID?" The man appears to shake his head no.
"Are you here illegally?" the officer asks next.
Morales then intervenes and asks the officer, "Are you guys authorized to act as immigration police?"
"No, not necessarily," the officer says.
Morales tells the officer, "Then I would stay out of that. It's very touchy legal territory."
After the video went viral, Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington released a statement assuring travelers it was not Metro policy to inquire about immigration status and promising an investigation.
"It is the policy of the Metro Transit Police Department that all members make personal and professional commitments to equal enforcement of the law and equal service to the public. Confidence in this commitment will increase the effectiveness of this department in protecting and serving the entire community and recognizing the dignity of all persons, regardless of their immigration status."
Never trust someone wearing a shiny badge: they think they have all the other ones, too.
