"Border Patrol Agents Stop Domestic Travelers at NY Airport" Fri Feb-24-17 03:11 AM by jasonlevine
These passengers were travelling from San Francisco to New York and were told to "show their papers" to Customs and Border Patrol agents before being allowed off the airplane?!!! Under what authority can CBP do this? Are we really going to move into "papiere bitte" territory?
#1. "RE: Border Patrol Agents Stop Domestic Travelers at NY Airport" In response to jasonlevine (Reply # 0)
I'm going to get howled down for this.
I often watch TV shows focusing on various countries Border Protection agencies. We in Australia get such shows from Australia, NZ, Britain, Canada and the USA. US Border Protection staff are absolutely unique in their aggressiveness and their "guilty until proven innocent" attitude.
#2. "RE: Border Patrol Agents Stop Domestic Travelers at NY Airport" In response to Paul D (Reply # 1)
Quote:
I often watch TV shows focusing on various countries Border Protection agencies.
Quite frankly, you have weird viewing habits. I doubt that I have ever watched a TV show about Border Protection agencies - not including news reports, of course.
But, you're right about US agencies - though it is not a new phenomenon. I have driven extensively in Mexico and Canada - not on the same day.
It's been awhile so maybe it's changed but getting into Mexico was a snap - just grease somebody's palm and you're on your way.
Getting back into the US was a far different story. Every time it was truly a "guilty until proven innocent" inspection. Remove everything - spread it out on tables - have the car "torn apart" - be shown nooks and crannies for hiding stuff that I had no idea existed - all the while observing stake bed trucks loaded with migrant workers, packed in so tightly that there was standing room only, breeze by the checkpoint without being inspected.
Returning from Canada is not as bad. Once on a bicycle trip around Lake Erie, I was questioned extensively and had to remove the contents of my medium-sized handlebar pack. They must have thought I was a "mule" carrying a bike-load of contraband. At least they were polite, and wore gloves while they handled my dirty bike clothes.