Undocumented immigrants face checks on Amtrak, Greyhound

The Miami Herald ^ | 8/14/11 | Sarah Gonzalez

[ruralvoter]

As a Greyhound bus prepared to leave a small town near Atlanta, 19-year-old Azucena headed to the window seat on the last row , on her way to Miami to start school and a new life. (SNIP) Immigration searches on public transportation sites are not well publicized. Border patrol agents generally protect the border or coastline. But, Steve Cribby, spokesperson for U. S. Customs and Border Protection, says agents have the authority to conduct immigration checks in public places. And checks on Greyhound buses and Amtrak are meant to disrupt human smuggling activities into the country’s interior, he said.

The checks are consistent with previous years, he said. Citing law enforcement sensitivity, border patrol officials would not provide figures on apprehensions on public transportation.

But attorneys and others say they have definitely seen an increase.

[Tammy8]

Greyhound is a private business, but it is licensed as a public conveyance- so they are a “public” bus; meaning local or federal law enforcement can and do check passengers. I have no idea the legal ins and outs but do know under some circumstances they have checked passengers for various reasons. Even in private vehicles LEO can check people out for various reasons- drivers and passengers so that really doesn’t have anything to do with it. If ICE or an of the other acronym agencies think you are smuggling people in your car I can assure you they can legally check to find out. Greyhound is not above the law.

[Tammy8]

Checking buses for illegals is something they do when they want to. At times they pursue illegals, or pretend to and check people on buses, and many other places. Most of the time they don’t do any of that and the border is wide open ...

I remember riding a bus with my mother back in the 1960s and Border Patrol got on the bus and checked people out- you are right it is not new. None of this is new- the government just decides from time to time whether they will enforce immigration laws or not. When they decide to enforce laws they act like it is a new thing.

[10thAmendmentGuy]

Well isn’t this precious. Illegals do not get deported because Obama has proposed a DREAM Act. What other Obama proposed laws are being enforced?

Cool! I'm going to go smoke a joint inside my local DEA building and when arrested, tell them that my prosecution should be deferred under HR 2306 (sponsored by Ron Paul and Barney Frank), which proposes the removal of marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act. I'll ask them to defer the prosecution until 2025 or 2030, which is probably enough time for it to get passed by Congress (hopefully). Do you think that Attorney General Eric "my people" Holder will be amenable to my proposal? I mean, I want something, and there's a bill pending in Congress, so I'm confident I'll be able to work this out.