A small group of Scholarships A-Z (an advocacy group mostly made up of undocumented students) members headed back to Tucson last night after attending a retreat with the Arizona Dream Act Coalition in Phoenix this weekend.
When they reached the Greyhound Bus Station on Congress Street, they were pretty unhappy to see Border Patrol agents escorted inside the bus by Greyhound staff. According to Francisco Salcido, who was on that bus with Scholarships A-Z, they interrogated four passengers native to Guatemala.
The agents did not bother any one else on the bus.
Apparently, the agents quoted some 1940s law (???) to justify their presence on the bus, which was headed to El Paso, Texas, according to Salcido.
Question: Since when is the Border Patrol allowed to interrogate bus passengers about their immigration status when not in an international border or passing through a BP checkpoint?
Will this become routine? It is widely known that migrant men, women and children, many recently released from immigration detention, can be found at the Greyhound station, where they hope to take a bus, oftentimes across the country, to reunite with family and/or friends while they wait for their hearings with ICE, etc.
If anyone has more info, please let me know, while I reach out to Greyhound and BP.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2015.
this is what’s known as a ‘dick move’, and a fairly scary precedent.
Illegal is illegal – arrest them – deport them and all others of similar status!
Border Patrol Agents have always been allowed and its legal by the law to check buses at bus stations. If you are a citizen of the United States or are here legally don’t worry about. Let them do their Job! That’s what they get paid to do.
My ID is checked every time I travel. So glad to see they have usurped the president and are willing to enforce the laws of the US.
My ID is checked every time I travel. So glad to see they have usurped the president and are willing to enforce the laws of the US.
Good point, Rat T. There are many situations in which I am required to show my ID…to travel – especially into another country (Mexico for instance), to engage in financial transactions, to board a flight, when I am pulled over for whatever reason…and yet, I’m too busy showing up at work and earning a living so that I can pay my taxes to support all of the “less fortunate” – who have plenty of time to make signs and block traffic every time they cry victim – to protest this minor inconvenience in my life. Then again, I’m not doing anything illegal…
Rant:
Since when does a “group mostly made up of undocumented students” have the gall to think they can move around our country in violation of every immigration law and the further gall to complain at the slightest suggestion the law might be enforced? What other country could you do this?
To strip away the euphemism “undocumented students” means foreign nationals illegally residing in our country.
Sounds like all of you will be lining up to make sure the local and federal authorities have your DNA, too, since the Supremes declined to restrict law enforcement access to it. After all, nothing to hide means nothing to fear, right?
“Apparently, the agents quoted some 1940s law (???)”
The border patrols primary legal authority was codified and spelled out in legislation in 1952, this is when they received the legal authority to search any conveyance in the US and the authority to arrest undocumented immigrants. Since then. numerous Supreme Court cases have placed limitations, based primarily on the 4th amendment, on these powers;
In Martinez-Fuerte the Powell court decided that internal checkpoints were not a violation of the 4th but that officers must have probably cause or permission to search a vehicle.
In Brignoni-Ponce the court rules that stops based solely on the race/ethnicity of the driver ARE unconstitutional.
In Bond v The USA, the Rehnquist court rules that asking riders of buses their citizenship is legal but that pat downs or invasive searches of their luggage without probably cause or permission is a violation of the 4th amendment. Visual inspections are allowed.
I might not have the details correct but there is a long legal and legislative history behind the rights and purveyance within which the border patrol may operate. The Supreme Court has ruled on a number of the big issues that some people still want to claim are unconstitutional.
Just because I do not like it, does not make it unconstitutional.
For over a decade I have witnessed BP agents getting on buses for eye-checks (blue eyes good, brown eyes bad) in places as far north as Amarillo and Oklahoma City. This is not new nor unusual. I suspect most of the commenters haven’t left their momma’s basement in that time, or have brown eyes. My papers are only checked at the airport…
Due to military and US Government service, I have lived in several foreign countries. I was always required to have proper ID on my person at all times. I have often been required to present my ID by foreign authorities. What is the problem?
I fully support “dreamers” they are here through happenstance, however, I would like to see most undocumented folks deported.
Hurray for the Border Patrol for doing the job they are getting paid for!
Well, did they do anything illegal? Where any laws broken? Were the Guatemalan students arrested? Did they have return tickets?
Please provide some facts and actual investigation.
The Border Patrol should stick to patrolling the border. Dog knows there are enough of them to actually watch the border if they were lined up there instead of driving all over the place doing whatever it is they do (running vehicles off the road, trespassing on private property, damaging property, leaving gates in the wrong position, killing livestock, hassling citizens, invading privacy etc etc etc)
Bus should have been directed and escorted to the border and ALL illegals forced to return to mexico
Kali, fyi if agents are within 25 miles of the border and as long as they are not in your house or on your curtilage, they are NOT tressassing.
Hey Random, I have a pretty good grasp of the parameters. Trespassing is correct. Well past 25 miles. How about coming to the house uninvited in an unmarked vehicle – in fact after having been told NOT to? I have had an agent interrogate me, then follow me 5 miles and then threaten to pull me out of my vehicle. (that one with no badge or name tag, refused to ID himeself. he took off when I picked up a camera to video the attempt) No, they are pretty much a bunch of out-of-control ex-military kids on a power trip. I really worry for the migrants who are at a huge disadvantage in terms of any kind of legal protections for their human rights. Federal police invading your private property. Isn’t there something in the constitution about that?
Well I think BORDER PATROL should stay on the border or get a different name besides border patrol.. just think they are not near border when they interrogate ppl on the greyhound. ” where u going,what you have in your bag like thats none of your business unless he/she is being served a search warrant.. just because they “doing there job” my ass wtf are they doing.. trying to pick a bone..idc if u like or dislike that’s me
ALERT……IF YOU ARE UNDOCUMENTED OR YOU ARE A LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT ( GREEN CARD HOLDER ) WITH ANY CRIMINAL CONVICTION. DOOOO NOT TRAVEL ON GREYHOUND OR AMTRACK…PERIOD POINT BLACK….DONT FUCKING DOOOO IT…I SHIT YOU NOT……
Besides the COST of ILLEGALS, Illegals have also killed over 48,000 American’s including children since 2003. And that not including rape, assaults, theft, tax evasion, identity theft and so much more that American’s put up with on a daily basis.
Here is a PARTIAL list below of what ILLEGALS are costing us now.
Most the facts below are 3 years old or newer so some of the numbers have risen dramatically since then.
California already on (05/17/2016) approved 170,000 Illegal kids for health care.
$12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English.
$17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
$2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
$22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year.
$3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
Does not include local jails and State Prisons.
The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate thats two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US
In 2012 illegal aliens sent home $62 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. This is why Mexico is getting involved in our politics.
$200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.
The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States.
All these stats don’t include murder, rape, assaults, burglary, identity theft, tax evasion, drug running, human smuggling and so much more that American’s have to put up with on a daily basis.
Sources
Center for Immigration Studies
Federation for American Immigration Reform
House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Investigations
Inter-American Development Bank
Violent Crimes Institute
Federation for American Immigration Reform
Immigration Studies Program
Get out of my country