Is there a need for the amount of Border Patrol or is it over excessive. What do you think?

Our roadtrip to West Texas meant that on most of our journey we traveled on US 90 from San Antonio to Alpine. From Uvalde onwards the highway is a major Border Patrol area. It is a fairly uninhabited and desolate part of Texas, extremely hot and dusty with towns many miles apart and all fairly small but it is an area that a lot of people try to cross the border from Mexico to the USA.

Looking at the distance anyone doing this would have to travel with the elements of heat, lack of shade or water and the rugged terrain they would need to cross shows how desperate they must be. I can't even imagine being able to attempt it. The heat alone last week was in triple digits. The vehicle patrols covered miles and miles, even outside the huge Big Bend State Park.

We have traveled this way before but this is the most active I have seen the road being patrolled.

We went through checkpoints 4 times on this trip.

First one was quick every vehicle was passed through without hassle. Second one, a truck in line ahead of us was pulled to one side after the sniffer dogs started going crazy . The third one was very interesting. A tractor trailer loaded with bales of hay was being completely emptied with driver and passenger hand cuffed. Stop four took forever, this was Friday at 4pm so it may be normal traffic at that time.

I know these check points are a deterrent for human smuggling and drugs I was just surprised at the amount of them on one highway.

They may have been looking for something specific, perhaps based on a tip off or other intelligence.

Obviously we don't see CBP checkpoints in my neck of the woods, but there are days when there are a lot of state police around, and they clearly aren't running speed traps - they're out there for a particular purpose.

They must have heard we were in the area

It's bloody crazy when NASCAR is in town.

The marshalls in the parking areas and police around the speedway are legendary for making the traffic worse not better. I was there a few weeks ago and couldn't get out onto the road down to the interstate because the marshalls had closed that exit, and I was directed out on to Hwy29, in the wrong direction (it has a median), and from there the police had also closed the roar to the interstate. It's blöödy ridiculous!

Where we used to lived up in Maine, there were a few, mostly with the coast guard...but it wasn't looking for illegals nipping over the border, it was a pure money grab.

Easy business finding Canadians who had sailed down for the weekend and left a gun in their boat.

Search and ticket for not having a license and depending on the weapon, they seize it.

Only saw one or so random check points on the roads while we were there but they were looking to tag Canadian logging trucks, mostly on weight/load issues which were also easy fines.

Didn't we have this thread... um... yes: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5...-822451/page5/

Can't remember if I mentioned in that thread but I knew a guy who was arrested by a sheriff's deputy in Texas back when they could get DHS 287(g) authority to set up their own roadblocks. Being Canadian, he only had his DL on him as you could enter the US with just that at the time. So he was put in jail overnight until he got someone to e-mail them a copy of his passport.

What exactly that proved I don't know but they have to turn them over to the BP and I don't think BP would have been impressed.

Anyway, people who don't live near the Mexican border won't be happy until there are BP agents daisy-chained along the border and there is a 20 foot high fence with machinegun turrets along the entire length of it.



And just in case you think it couldn't get any more stupid, here is a Congressional hearing into the threat posed by Canada: Canada Border Control | User Clip | C-SPAN.org

Wanted to see the trike.

Bottom line if you are a US citizen those checkpoints are unconstitutional and you can refuse to answer any questions or be subject to unlawful detainment, for right or wrong. There was a youtube video of someone going through and basically telling them to sod off.

If you are a US Citizen they just wave you through. Yes you show proof but you have to show ID for lots of reasons so why should it worry you to just comply

And the point of copping an attitude is what exactly?

I get caught up in daylight police or sheriff's checkpoints every couple of years or so. I wind down the window, we exchange pleasantries while the officer glances at my license. Sometimes a second officer is round the back looking at my vehicle's tag. Then I go on my way. .... Why would anyone want to be an ärse about it?

Because it is their right?

Has anyone ever seen a DUI road block like they have in England or is it unconstitutional?

So given a choice between 30 seconds of pleasantries and going on your way, or picking an argument with someone who can detain you and make life difficult, "picking an argument" looks like a good idea? (Yes I know it is "a right", I guess it's good to know that people are fighting for the right to be a jerk. )

DUI checkpoints are apparently common in NC. I have never seen one, but the Monday news on the radio often reports the results of weekend DUI checkpoints. I don't know that they run every weekend, but they are certainly frequent.