From what I remember, the Malayalee Film Crew was detained because they did not follow cabin crew instructions to be seated during the approach into NYC. This was soon after 9/11 and strict rules were in place.
Apparently some (all?) of the crew were coming to NYC for the first time and were excited about the sights and kept going from one set of windows to the opposite side to enjoy the view.
They were not detained just because they were speaking an "alien" language.
I travel a lot in the US and I have never felt that I was singled out for checking.
In fact I am bothered that there is no racial / religious profiling! I would not mind being subjected to extra checks if it would help to significantly reduce the risk of these crazy people taking over planes!!!
