U.S. border patrol

Great Debates
1

According to this we are now subject to border patrol searches in Rochester and other Upstate New York cities.

This train, and all the other trains on this route but one, does not cross the Canadian border, but now we have to show our papers in Rochester? If the border patrol does not like my answers or thinks I’m nervous I could be detained. Things are getting out of hand.

I’m not sure if this belongs in Great Debates, but I do think people should be discussing this. This is what this fake “war on terror” is bringing us to.

2

There’s been an on-again-off-again border patrol station on Interstate 5 in California north of Oceanside for decades. That’s about 50 miles north of the border.

I’ve gone through there lots of times. When it’s operating, I’m always just waved through.

3

If you just show your papers and your tattoo, you have nothing to fear. Don’t question authority, they are here to keep you safe.

Why are you complaining about this anyway? What do you have to hide? You should probably consider turning yourself in.

4

They really should be required to fake a German or Russian accent when they ask for your papers, just for style points.

5

Wanna start a shit fight? Get a tan, answer “Si senor” in your best Spanish accent, while showing no legally justifiable cause, then if they give you trouble sue for harassment. Make sure there’s evidence for the news media.

6

The Border Patrol has been operating inland checkpoints for years in Texas and probably other states as well but the ones in Texas are the only ones that I have personal knowledge of. They make you stop and ask if you are an American citizen. I’ve never been asked for identification but I’m white as Wonder bread.

7

New Mexico too. Somewhere on I-10 between Deming and Las Cruces, at about mile marker 20 on I-25 north of Las Cruces, and on US-70 on White Sands near the west side of White Sands National Monument. I’ve never had a problem either, but I still say fuck la migra on general principles. It’s really bullshit that these things are legal. Get them at the border or forget about it. Don’t restrict my freedom of movement inside my own country or especially my own state.

8

Those inland checkpoints near the southern border have been around for ages, but nobody ever writes about them. Suddenly there’s one in New York State, and the New York Times gets excited.

9

I can almost get behind the checkpoints on the southern border since there are a large number of people circumventing traditional border crossings there. In this case, it seems like it’s basically just a random checkpoint at a high traffic corridor that is only legal because it just so happens to wander within a certain distance of the border. Has anyone actually been caught there who snuck across the Canadian border? It sounds to me like they’re mostly people with visa problems, which is not supposed to be the border patrol’s job.

10

I know them well. We called them “skin checks”.

11

I’ve seen them in NM and CA. Does anyone know what kind of efficacy they might have? Like how many illegals have they caught? On I-15 in the 90’s, I saw a car pulled over to inside median of the freeway with four Hispanics. They were probably trying to figure out how to back up to the freeway exit. Alas, a few CCTV cameras were already focused on the car in question…

I called 'em “beard checks,” because they always pulled me over when I hadn’t shaved for a while.

12

I go through one in NM on my way to work everyday. And then I get to go through the facial recognition cameras on my way home. Nice way to travel about these supposedly free United States.

The main problem down here is that the Border Patrol monkey’s don’t realize that they are INSIDE the US and think they have all the power and authority that they do at an actual border crossing (which is where the Border Patrol belongs).

My favorite is when there is a 20-45 minute wait in line and only one lane open while there are 13 other Border Patrol monkeys hanging out barbecuing.

Besides the standard US citezen? question, other normal ones are where you going? Where you coming from? Is this your vehicle?

I’ve only once been asked for ID from a real asshole. I’ve been asked where I work, what I do for a living, where I grew up, where I was born. Another favorite is asking if the spare in the bed of my truck is for my truck.

I am nice to them at first, just ask if I’m a citizen and let me go. Once they start asking questions I simply refuse(am I free to go) or give wise ass answers.

Multiple times I’ve gone through the

“am I free to go?”
“no”
“am I being detained?”
“no”
“then I’m free to go?”
“no”
“then I’m being detained?”
“no”
“then I am free to go!”

I have been told that I will not be allowed to leave the checkpoint until I answer all their questions. This usually results in being surrounded by about 10 of 'em and the supervisor telling me to calm down and telling me that I don’t have to answer any questions.

I’ve had the supervisor come out of their building telling the monkey to let me go while in a heated confrontation and then as I was driving away the monkey yelled at me “fucking asshole”.

I’ve had a border patrol monkey leaning in my vehicle, 3" from my face screaming at me that I had to obey his orders while spitting all over my face. I only roll my window down half way now, or up half way if it was down.

They write down my license plate # at least every 3rd time I go through there.

Things that get them. Saying “thats none of your god damn business”, and when they say “I’m just trying to do my job”, saying “no, your job is 50 miles that way”.

To be fair, 95% of them are on the up and up and know what they are doing and are very professional. I’d say that 3% are just stupid and 2% are just outright power hungry assholes.

Welcome to the new America.

13

But they’re all monkeys.

14

Yes, when they are BBQing 50 miles from the border and I have to go to work, yes. I would love to be able to plant my ass 50 miles away from the shop and BBQ all day and still get paid, and claim that I was “just doin’ my job”.

As for the “New America” comment. Its been the same way from Clinton on, and probably earlier than that, but I don’t know. No partisan slant, I hate them all.

Another little tidbit. A friend of mine was going to her grandmothers funeral on 9-11-01. They tried to make her turn around because there was a national emergency. She is one hard headed girl stubborn girl. She made it to the funeral.

15

You are always waved through now, but that is not the point. You may be one of the chosen now, but you may not be in the future. Just because it’s been there for decades does not make it right, and yes I know about the 100 mile rule.

Do you think that if a person takes a trip on an intercity train from Albany to Bufflao or to Cleveland or Chicago they should be subject to a search by the US border patrol? That is where these trains go, and the only borders they cross are state. Most of them don’t even do that.

There is another train that goes to Chicago via Pennsylvania , should they look down there just in case? If so, where does it end?

16

Gee, and I thought it was all about The Man trying prove I’m guilty and not me having to prove my innocence.

17

I didn’t say I thought it was right, I said that it exists, so it’s nothing new. I was making a comment about the New York Times sudden interest in this phenomenon, not about the correctness of the border patrol stations themselves.

18

Awesome.

19

What do the border patrols in upstate New York hope to find, anyway? Legions of snowbacks sneaking in to take the lumberjacking jobs that nobody wants? People saying “oh sure I’m a citizen of the US, eh?” Followed by “Take off ya hoser, I was just kidding eh”

Will they be confiscating touques?

Maybe they can trick people by wearing Tim Hortons uniforms and inviting commuters on the train to roll up the rim.

“Is that a Timbit in your pants, or should I just feel sorry for you?”

20

A lot of non-Canadians try to illegally enter the United States from Canada because that border is less heavily guarded.