Southern Arizona Homeland Security Checkpoint

[Notanumber]

The comments on that video make me want to hurl. 

Which ones?

Just about all of them except for Waggoneer (who posted the video), and a couple of other commenters. 90% of the rest are shouting how un-American he is for "disrespecting" the Border Patrol.
It was really silly: a car load of obvious American college students returning from Spring Break. The BPAs standing around leaning on pickup trucks only wanted one thing: to compliantly reply "yes" when asked if they were American citizens. (As a side note, a Mexican, Canadian, or anyone else from North or South American could honestly answer "yes" to that question.)
After a protracted conversation, which should have only confirmed that Waggoneer was an American (or at least allayed any concern that he wasn't), it was simply a power play by the BPAs, to have the travellers respect their au-thor-i-tay.
Their authority, BTW, does not include demanding driver's licenses or registrations; that was an over-the-top intimidation attempt.

I agree.  So far as I know, BPAs dont have authority to enforce state traffic regulations, so they had no justification to ask for DL and registrations, or open the car door without permission.  They did it because they usually get away with it.  Same with the secondary pull over.  Most BPAs know that they cant do that shit without something to hang their hats on, and refusal to answer their questions isnt enough isnt a peg they are allowed to use.

Granted, the guy in the car could have been a little more polite, and that might have ended things a little quicker, but a good cop comes to realize that not everyone is going to appreciate the intrusion, and chalk bad attitudes up as part of the job. 

What is really disturbing to me is the people identifying themselves as cops and making threats, or saying they would have escalated the situation as far as violence.  It makes me resolve even more to pretty much always politely refuse to cooperate or communicate with the police in their official capacity, even those officers I know personally to be genuinely decent people deep down.  Something happens to most people once that uniform goes on.

The most idiotic douches are telling this guy that he 'disrespected the law'.  As if the guy wearing a badge IS the law!   

[Notanumber]

Heres a link to brighten the day of those who dont respect the A-Thori-TAY.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MWSGbh-bi4&feature=user

[FTL_Ian]

Waggoneer is apparently an FTL listener!   

[Checkpoint]

Most recently (May 14th), I was stopped by a roving patrol late at night along this same stretch of highway. It was a pretty surreal experience:

https://www.checkpointusa.org/blog/index.php/2008/05/17/p92

To summarize the incident, I was pulled over without reasonable suspicion by an armed federal agent along a deserted stretch of an unlit two lane highway late at night with no developed shoulders to safely move out of the lane of traffic. The agent approached my driver's side door and shined a flashlight into my cab without a word of explanation before backing away after seeing my camera and hearing the dispatcher's report on his radio. The agent then refused to identify himself or the reason for the stop before getting back into his patrol vehicle and leaving the scene.

Since DHS agents need reasonable suspicion to believe a specific vehicle contains illegal aliens before initiating a traffic stop via roving patrol, this stop was clearly illegal.

Additionally, given that I've been getting a steady stream of threats of violence since I first started posting videos of my checkpoint experiences, this traffic stop and the circumstances surrounding it were especially problematic.

I of course don't travel this road without several other individuals knowing when I'm going to be on it and when to expect me at my destination along with carrying recording gear and a cell phone. None of this means much in the short term however if someone's looking to put me in my place.

[Russell Kanning]

cool

[Luke S]

I stand 100% behind border patrol.

The Youtube commenters were correct. The guy had one simple question to answer: Whether he was a US citizen. Instead of doing that, he proceeded to make a big deal out of nothing, and try to act like a "hero", and thus wasted Border Patrol Agent time and distracted them from their other duties. Border Patrol has an extremely important job. In fact, one of the most important jobs in the US.

My suggestion to this guy would be to have better decorum the next time he goes through a checkpoint.

[Tom Sawyer]

Thanks for the report Checkpoint.

When a employee of the people is asked to identify themselves the are required to answer.

If we were to want to do the whole law thing I would like to suggest a law that says when approached by the authorities if they don't properly identify themselves they can be treated like any other highway robber would be treated.

[Lloyd Danforth]

, and thus wasted Border Patrol Agent time and distracted them from their other duties.

Lets just hope a few  folks made it over the boarder while the Pig was being distracted accosting the citizen.

[Russell Kanning]

that is a fun image .... they could spend half their time worrying about that guy with the camera while they eat their donuts in an airconditioned office

[David]

The number one most important thing those that believe in the freedom of travel should do, is to tie the gov goons up everytime they initiate a stop.  Challenge everything that you are comfortable challenging.
Be Peaceful, but increase the cost of enforcement.  That is the only thing these goons understand.   

[kola]

I watched that video. That fricken goon would not identify himself?? wtf?

I agree with Tom, he should be treated like a damn criminal. You could have called in a "suspicious vehicle" and "possible attempted highway robbery". These goons need to be identified and file charges against their nazi ruthless tactics. 

This is insane.

Kola

[Kat Kanning]

The Department of Homeland Security & Border Patrol setup a checkpoint in the early part of January 2008 along SR86 in Southern Arizona. The location is over 40 miles North of the border along a regularly traveled state highway that runs mostly parallel to the border and never intersects it at any point. As of the first part of February, the checkpoint was still active and being used to interrogate travelers regarding their citizenship and to sniff for drugs via on-scene K9 units.

I've been seized at the checkpoint on five separate occasions over the past three weeks while traveling home from work. I've documented and videotaped each stop.

The videos are available on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/CheckpointUSA

While full writeups, photos, and video are available on my blog at;

http://checkpointusa.org/blog

The first three stops took place during the day. The fourth stop was at night and the agents ran a drug dog around every vehicle entering the checkpoint.

The most recent stop took place Friday last week. Homeland Security knew I was coming and had a large United States flag flying in the background and at least twelve agents present to greet me (there's normally four).

The agents banged on the side of my vehicle as I entered, yelled out my name during the stop, surrounded my vehicle, and sent a blue gloved 'investigator' around the vehicle to take photos before I was allowed to proceed. The high resolution photos I took show several high ranking Border Patrol officials smiling in the background while the agents were harassing me at the actual checkpoint stop.

The comments and discussion left on YouTube is also very interesting. One commentor, quoting from a DOJ Immigration manual used by the Border Patrol, has indicated that everyone entering one of these checkpoints is presumed to be a suspect until that individual affirmatively proves they are in the country legally. If the individual fails to prove their legal status to the satisfaction of the stopping agent, that individual can be detained indefinitely by the Border Patrol until status is determined.

Remember, these checkpoints can be setup anywhere within 100 miles of an international border. As such, it's now clear the Border Patrol is operating under the premise that anyone traveling within 100 miles of a border can be stopped (at these checkpoints) and detained absent any reasonable suspicion for as long as Homeland Security deems necessary or desirable.

It would seem that arbitrary seizure and indefinite detention is now a normal part of daily Homeland Security operations throughout at least 10% of the country. 

I was just listening to this guy on Alex Jones.  Impressive!

[nemoslaw]

Just to clarify...the border patrol kiosk is in the state of AZ yes, but it is on FEDERAL land which any FEDERAl agent can inforce FEDERAL law...there are federal traffick laws trust me I am an expert.
  They ask what you bought, why you were there, what you do for work, and of course your green card or US passport, been there done it many a time, they do not usually sic the dogs and ive brought over many a cuban rum!!!!
        I hear Canadas pretty upset they cant get their stuff no more *snicker*

The grand canyon is in AZ, but it's federal land try'n do something there utoh!

[KBCraig]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/28/2864.asp

Federal Appeals Court Limits Tribal Roadblocks
Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals imposes limitations on the ability of tribal governments to operate roadblocks.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling last Tuesday imposing restrictions on the ability of Indian tribes to use roadblocks to detain motorists who are not tribal members. The court examined the case of motorist Terry Bressi who was stopped at a checkpoint on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Pima County, Arizona while traveling on State Route 86 on December 20, 2002. Tribal police, Border Patrol and Immigration and Naturalization Service agents manned the roadblock.

When stopped, Bressi insisted that the roadblock was unconstitutional and declined to produce his papers when a tribal policeman demanded it. Instead, Bressi asked the officer if he had any probable cause to believe he was in violation of any state law. That infuriated the officer who, after a lengthy exchange, pulled Bressi out of his vehicle, handcuffed him and arrested him for failure to obey a police officer and failure to produce proof of identity. At trial, tribal officers admitted that they knew Bressi was not impaired and not an Indian subject to their jurisdiction.

(more details at URL above)

[littlehawk]

Indian Police (aka tribal pigs) are hated by REAL indians.  This pertains to ALL reservations.

Littlehawk