Drivers challenge Border Patrol highway checkpoints

Drivers challenge Border Patrol highway checkpoints

With more people on the road visiting relatives, Thanksgiving week is a busy time at Border Patrol highway checkpoints. These days, more motorists are challenging the interior checkpoints and posting their videos on YouTube.

“Did I just cross the border? Was I outside the United States?” asks a man who in text before the video indicates he was stopped at a checkpoint on Interstate 10 leaving El Paso.

Border Patrol agents who ask for citizenship at highway checkpoints are now facing questions of their own.

“So you’re allowed to stop any person for any reason and harass him?” asks the motorist. The Border Patrol agent explains “It’s an immigration checkpoint, everybody is subject to inspection.” SOURCE

I have mentioned before, I lived in El Paso, Texas for quite a long time and to get from El Paso to most any other part of Texas or New Mexico, using local, state or federal roads, you have to go through a U.S. Border Patrol check station at some point.

To me, it’s no big deal; I have been going through them for well over 30 years and have never had so much as one problem in doing so. That may be because I am a LEGAL American citizen, it may be because I didn’t try to smuggle any contraband into the United States or, it could be because I didn’t attempt to take any ILLEGALS out of the area and I always maintained a good attitude.

“Did I just cross the border? Was I outside the United States?” has got to be the most incredibly STUPID thing that a person could ask when going through a Check Station. You didn’t have to leave the USA, you came from El Paso, and that is all it takes. You just came from an area that is well noted for smuggling, be it people, drugs or other commodities, El Paso is a known route for smugglers and once into El Paso these smugglers still have to get their *cargo* moved to the interior USA for it to be a viable money maker.

“So you’re allowed to stop any person for any reason and harass him” the guy asks?

I am going out on that *limb* here and will make a guess; that question WILL get you harassed, or what YOU may call harassed. You see, YOU just threw up a *red flag* when you asked that question and you’re going to be given an even closer examination than the guy that say “U.S. Citizen” and is waved through.

I liken that action to the person that gets stopped by a traffic unit and greets the Officer with, “What the hell are you stopping me for you f*ing PIG?” You just escalated what may have been nothing more than a *courtesy* stop to inform you that you had a light out or had some minor defect that could possibly cause a *safety issue*.

I say this in all confidence; most clashes with Border Patrol, under *every day* standards, is caused by the attitude of the person being stopped.

Border Patrol doesn’t have it *In for YOU*, they are merely doing the job they were hired to do; check those passing from border areas into less well covered areas in an attempt to slow the entry of contraband into this nation.

The people that cry and moan about LEGAL enforcement; can you imagine their cries if the USBP didn’t do their job?

And let me tell you, some Border Patrol Agents have a sense of humor.

Many years ago I was coming back from a trip to the border in Southern California, I was driving north on California Hwy. 111 and it was 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning and there was a Border Patrol check ahead.

There was an Agent working and he looked tired. I was tired, and bored so when I pulled up he asks me, “Where were you born?” and me being me I told him, “915 Margret Place.”

The Agent looks at me and says, “What is that?”

I said, “Schumpert Hospital…”

Agent, “OK, so where’s that?”

Me, “Shreveport, Louisiana…”

Agent, “Why didn’t you say that to begin with?”

Me, “You looked tired and bored, I AM tired and bored and in serious need of some coffee..”

Agent, laughing now says, “I have coffee and need some too, come on in and I’ll make a fresh pot…” and he did. We sat and visited for an hour I guess, I got a caffeine fix and went on my way to where I was going and he was awake to finish his shift.

My friends, Law Officers of all kinds are just like you and me. They have families, bills, homes, concerns and everything else on their minds that we do. Treat them with respect, it places the onus of respect on them.

And if you’re not doing something wrong and an Officer treats you with NO respect, then that is an Officer not deserving any in return, and in my 60 years I have only known one Officer that was that kind of a chump, an ASS from *word one*.

Give them a chance and a polite break, you never know how much will be returned in kind!