WillBrink
11-22-14, 15:47
I didn't know border patrol had check points many miles from the border, so called "100 mile zone" from the borders. I can see why many might not take well to being asked if they are a US Citizen while being a long way from a border. I understand what they are trying to achieve, but this seems beyond reasonable in a "free" society and very borderline Constitutional. From the ACLU:
"In practice, Border Patrol agents routinely ignore or misunderstand the limits of their legal authority in the course of individual stops, resulting in violations of the constitutional rights of innocent people. These problems are compounded by inadequate training for Border Patrol agents, a lack of oversight by CBP and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the consistent failure of CBP to hold agents accountable for abuse. Thus, although the 100-mile border zone is not literally "Constitution free," the U.S. government frequently acts like it is."
https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/constitution-100-mile-border-zone
Many refuse to answer the Qs in these "inland" checkpoints, and there's something of a movement to defy them, without major issues in most cases.
Border Patrol Takes ‘No’ for an Answer at Internal Checkpoints
by Cindy Casares Published on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at 2:49 CST
"A fascinating video is circulating on the Internet featuring motorists who decline to answer questions at Border Patrol checkpoints miles from the border. Questions like, “Are you a U.S. citizen?” or “Where are you headed?” are met with polite refusals. In the video, one pair of motorists stopped at a Laredo checkpoint refuse to answer an agent’s question about their citizenship. When the agent becomes agitated and orders the driver to pull over to secondary inspection, the driver politely says, “No thank you.” The agent calls over his supervisor. “Unless we’re living in a police state,” the driver says. “Unless this is Mexico or Nazi Germany … this is still America and I can travel down this road without having to answer questions from federal agents.” The kicker is the motorists get away with it; the supervisor ultimately waves them through."
Vid of the "resistance" and more intel:
http://www.texasobserver.org/border-patrol-takes-no-for-an-answer-at-internal-checkpoints/
Have any of you been through these inland border check points?
"In practice, Border Patrol agents routinely ignore or misunderstand the limits of their legal authority in the course of individual stops, resulting in violations of the constitutional rights of innocent people. These problems are compounded by inadequate training for Border Patrol agents, a lack of oversight by CBP and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the consistent failure of CBP to hold agents accountable for abuse. Thus, although the 100-mile border zone is not literally "Constitution free," the U.S. government frequently acts like it is."
https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/constitution-100-mile-border-zone
Many refuse to answer the Qs in these "inland" checkpoints, and there's something of a movement to defy them, without major issues in most cases.
Border Patrol Takes ‘No’ for an Answer at Internal Checkpoints
by Cindy Casares Published on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at 2:49 CST
"A fascinating video is circulating on the Internet featuring motorists who decline to answer questions at Border Patrol checkpoints miles from the border. Questions like, “Are you a U.S. citizen?” or “Where are you headed?” are met with polite refusals. In the video, one pair of motorists stopped at a Laredo checkpoint refuse to answer an agent’s question about their citizenship. When the agent becomes agitated and orders the driver to pull over to secondary inspection, the driver politely says, “No thank you.” The agent calls over his supervisor. “Unless we’re living in a police state,” the driver says. “Unless this is Mexico or Nazi Germany … this is still America and I can travel down this road without having to answer questions from federal agents.” The kicker is the motorists get away with it; the supervisor ultimately waves them through."
Vid of the "resistance" and more intel:
http://www.texasobserver.org/border-patrol-takes-no-for-an-answer-at-internal-checkpoints/
Have any of you been through these inland border check points?