[Citadel] Adjutant’s Immigration Proposal Draws Fire from Public

Adjutant’s Immigration Proposal Draws Fire from Public

Cuaran Fal, Aroch Post

An Aroch Ward adjutant attracted criticism from constituents yesterday for an immigration and traffic proposal he submitted as a means of controlling the Citadel’s spiraling crime rate.

Adjutant Torin Jaleon proposed an Earth-Citadel Immigration Act yesterday, which intends to place additional restrictions on travel and immigration between the Citadel and Earth. The action includes increased background checks for travellers, increased funding to C-Sec’s Customs department to prevent the smuggling of contraband and other illegal materials, and tariffs for trade between Citadel and Earth-based businesses.

“Since the Citadel’s relocation to Earth’s orbit, and in part thanks to our rather lax means of enforcing traffic and immigration to and from the planet, we have seen a crime rate on this station that is quite frankly inexcusable.” Jaleon said in his official press statement. “It is past time we started to put a handle on this.”

Business owners have expressed concerns that Jaelon’s act, especially in regards to the proposed tariffs, will affect their livelihoods. Human constituents have also taken to the free-speech zones, accusing Jaleon of racial profiling. “He might as well just said ‘I think those stupid humans are the problem and we need to keep them out,’” said one protestor. “Least he’d be honest about it.”

Jaelon has issued a statement in response to the protestors, stating that “my proposal is in no way intended to enforce racial profiling. The human residents of the Citadel are also victims of an out-of-control crime rate, and I intend to stand up for the rights and security of my constituents, regardless of race.”

Oh, well, something has to be done.
I don't read it as racial profiling! It's traffic from earth that should be tracked more closely and not only human traffic. It's the closest and easiest accessible source for drugs and gang supplies. That's a fact that is beyond human or non-human.

Putting restraints to businesses is not the way but somehow C-Sec needs better control of what's going on and off station, and who. There were cases of wanting gangs from earth setting up camp on the citadel undetected. There must be means to prevent this without overdoing personalized checks. The immigration system as it runs is still pre-relocation in its regulations but reality moved on.

I'm a human and I'm ok with it. As Stardust said it's the traffic, not the species. A lot of criminal enterprises use earth as a relay point toward the Citadel.

It makes sense - anyone on Earth (human or otherwise) can get to and from the Citadel with nothing more than a backyard orbit hopper, it'd be to presume stupidity on the part of criminals not to be taking advantage of that. Earth is still, I don't think there's any question, very much in the process of pulling itself back together administratively - ideally C-Sec ought to be able to rely on their groundside counterparts to thoroughly police their end of the shipment chain, but that's never going to be as secure as a space station, and that's true of any inhabited planet you care to name. On the other hand, even if one presumed that a fully revitalised Earth customs service would have a faultless record, it'll be years at the least before anything like that can exist. And the lure of low-cost short-hop importing from Earth must be irresistable to Citadel businesses - not just for profit, but for reestablishing a healthy economic community, part of the rebuilding process, and not something to be interrupted lightly.

...don't look at me for answers, though, I learned as much economic theory as I needed to work here, and that was it. Far from my favourite discipline.

Finally, someone had the guts to say it! The district where my garrison is located in is fortunately still clean, but the local ward news do paint a dire picture of the dock districts as dens of villainy and scum coming in from Earth. Anything that can push off the tide of criminals is welcome news!

A well intentioned gesture but he is aware that this measure will either be effectively castrated or outright smothered in the crib yes?

For a second I thought they were talking about those creepy Omega Cerberus Collector monster things, which made the article much more interesting to read.

I can imagine that.

"Have you accepted our creator the Illusive Man as humanity's saviour?"

You know, I must say this thread is very sensible by the board's standards.

I've been making a fuss about the crime issue, here and on other sites, for some time now. I'm glad most of you here seem to understand the problem. It makes me feel better.