I don't think it's quite the same as the Japanese. It might have made sense in WWII to monitor the Japanese-American community closely, after all, a few of them actually WERE spies! But rounding them up and throwing them into camps was totally inexcusable, especially when many of them had their belongings, property and businesses stolen from them while they were interned. The fact this didn't happen with Americans of German or Italian descent does argue pretty persuasively that racism did play a role.

It should also be kept in mind that in the American Southwest many Hispanic families have been living there continuously for centuries. They have every right to be there. Although I am convinced national security and border control can be carried out without violations of civil rights, you can't really blame them for being a bit sensitive about it. I know if I were stopped because some cop thought I looked Hispanic, I would be willing to cooperate with him, but I would certainly demand to be treated with respect. My family has been in this country for a century and I, my brother, and both my parents were born here. My father and I both volunteered for, and served honorably in, this country's armed forces in time of war. I would be in no mood to be pushed around by some smartass punk redneck cop with delusions of racial superiority.