Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak

You don't see roadblocks on the nation's interstates (except for some
poorly thought out ones on the interstates leading from Canada and,
presumably, from Mexico).

You dont see them..but then you do..right. In your opinion, they may be
"poorly thought out" but in the opinion of the people from CPB/ICE/ Border
Patrol,
they' re in the right places.

"Concentrate on the borders".."Just after the Buffalo stop.."

How much closer to the 'Border' than Buffalo can you get ..wait a minute,
look there's Canada..right across the river !
http://www.peacebridge.com/

KwitcherWhining !

In rec.travel.usa-canada Stephen Sprunk wrote:
It is? I've crossed the US-Canadian border a dozen times in the last few
years, and I've never been able to figure out exactly where it is because
it's just a bunch of trees right up to the road.

Try hiking up north along the trails from North Cascades National Park in
WA. Once you get to the border (where there is no checkpoint, being in the
wilderness) there is a very noticeable 20-foot wide clearcut that marks
the border. You can see it stretching right up the mountain. Fire up
Google Earth or maps.google.com and explore any forested area along the
border and you'll clearly see it.

Here's a photo of one such spot: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1871559

I figure it's somewhere between the respective countries' checkpoints,
but they're a quarter mile or so a part in places. No clearcutting or
even signs to tell you where the actual border is.

Well, it is supposed to be. I don't know where you are crossing but
the border has always been clearly demarcated wherever I have crossed.

http://www.internationalboundarycomm.../ibcpol.html#a

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" wrote:

I've been stopped by such patrols on Interstates in California

I-5 and I-15 both have such facilities built right into the northbound
lanes of the interstates, about 50 mile north of the border in areas where
there are no practical detours off of the interstates. It is very similar
to a toll plaza, where drivers are forced to slow and pass through a lane
where a border guard can be stationed. Lately, however, on I-5 (I haven't
used that part of I-15 in a few years), the lanes have been wide open with
no guards in sight. I suppose they are all deployed along the actual
border.

If they have advance knowledge that someone is trying to sneak through
with a vanload of immigrants, or some other police action is needed, they
can quickly seal the checkpoint, however.

Merritt

In article ,
"Stephen Sprunk" wrote:

What really jerks my chain is that folks on the US side demanded to see my
passport to allow me to _leave_ the US.

That probably is not completely legal, but I suspect the reason for is
that they don't want the hassle when you try to come back into the U.S. I
don't think there is any law on the books that requires you to have a
passport or any other kind of permission to LEAVE the U.S. Entering
another country is a different matter. I am sure if you made an issue out
of your right to leave the U.S. without a passport, they would wave you
through, while informing the Canadian guards, who would then refuse you
entry.

Merritt

In article ,
sechumlib wrote:

On 2007-07-15 15:49:11 -0400, "Stephen Sprunk" said:

What really jerks my chain is that folks on the US side demanded to see
my passport to allow me to _leave_ the US. They were far more
interested in me than the Canadians, who just waved me through without
even opening the booth's window.

What do you mean? We cross the border frequently. Going from the US to
Canada, we don't even go through a US checkpoint. How do you get sent
through one?

And Canada is not nearly that bored by us. We always get stopped and
asked where we're going, how long we're going to be in Canada and
whether we're bringing anything that might interest them.

That is because you are crossing at a point where there is no U.S. guard
to screen you first.

Merritt

In article om,
wrote:

On Jul 14, 6:44 pm, "Bill in Schenectady" wrote:

We were on the Lake Shore Limited, traveling from Chicago to Schenectady
(the train goes on to New York City) when, just after the Buffalo stop, the
train stopped and two uniformed immigration patrol officers boarded and
walked through the coach class cars asking each person if he or she is an
American citizen.

And this surprises you because...?

Amtrak official policy (as stated on their website) is that
government-issued photo ID is required to purchase a ticket.

Actually, that is a federal policy, and it does not just apply to Amtrak.
You have to do the same thing for an airline ticket.

Moreover, passengers must produce valid ID
("Papers Please!") any time they are asked to do
so while on the train.

Where does it say that? That applies only if you board without having
your ID checked by a station agent, and, in my experience, is not rigidly
followed. Of course, it there is some reason to believe you are using
tickets that are not yours, you will be asked for ID.

Personally, I never use Amtrak. If I want to
experience Soviet-era travel, I'll go visit
North Korea instead.

I guess you have never flown on a U.S. airline either.

Merritt

In article ,
Martin D. Pay wrote:

Does that mean a US-government issued ID? If so, the tentative
plans my wife and I are making to use Amtrack for internal travel
(rather than fly internally within the USA) on our next visit
won't be possible...

No, it does not mean that. The US does not have federally-issued ID. It
only means that you need some form of official photo ID (usually a
state-issued driver's license, in the case of US residents) when picking
up your ticket prior to boarding the train. Probably a British driver's
license would work, but of course a British passport would also do the job.

And, contrary to the other poster's remarks, Amtrak is not in the habit of
demanding ID from its en route passengers.

Merritt

DevilsPGD wrote:

In message Fred Ellis
wrote:

You must not have travel on any of the interstate highways or US Routes
in the southwest part of the country. The Border Patrol has numerous
elaborate check points that are manned 24/7. If you are east bound on
IH 10 from El Paso, there is permanent check point station near Sierra
Blanca that you have to go through. I have been through at least a half
dozen or more of these permanent facilities while traveling through the
southwestern part of the country.

And if the driver presents valid identification and everyone else
refuses, then what?

--

You must not have gone through one of these Border Patrol check points
before. All you do is drive up to the Border Patrol officer, lower your
window and he asks if you are a U.S. citizen. You answer yes while he
looks inside your vehicle to see if there are any other passengers.
Then you tell the officer to have a nice day, raise your window and you
drive on.

If you have passengers in the vehicle, the officer asks them the same
question and they would of course reply yes. Of course this works only
if you and your passengers are of Anglo-Saxon descent and speak english
with an American accent. Other wise the officer might detain you for
further identification and/or questioning.

In all the times I have gone through these highway check points I have
never been ask to show identification or proof of citizenship.


Fred Ellis
--
Who do you serve. . . . And who do you trust?
(To e-mail me, remove the X from my address)

sechumlib wrote:
On 2007-07-15 17:35:40 -0400, "Adam H. Kerman" said:
wrote:
On 2007-07-15 15:49:11 -0400, "Stephen Sprunk" said:

What really jerks my chain is that folks on the US side demanded to see
my passport to allow me to _leave_ the US. They were far more
interested in me than the Canadians, who just waved me through without
even opening the booth's window.

What do you mean? We cross the border frequently. Going from the US to
Canada, we don't even go through a US checkpoint. How do you get sent
through one?

And Canada is not nearly that bored by us. We always get stopped and
asked where we're going, how long we're going to be in Canada and
whether we're bringing anything that might interest them.

Beer? Back bacon?

Do you have an answer to my questions or are you just bull****ting?

In the previous paragraph, you asked a question of someone else.

You didn't ask a question in the last paragraph. Perhaps you could read what
you wrote for comprehension.

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 01:44:38 GMT, "Bill in Schenectady"
wrote:


At it's worst, it reeks of countries where you can be stopped at any time
and place and asked to present your papers.

I wonder what the response would have been if I answered "American citizen"
but in a foreign accent.

I've been wandering back through the answers. To be honest,
I fail to see the problem or the hysteria over random
checking.

I would be much more nervous these days if checks like this
were not happening. That doesn't mean that I agree with the
tedious, ineffective and mindless security checks at
airports - but real security and intelligence work has to
happen if we don't want repeats of 9/11 and 7/7. And that
includes random checking that should not be predictable, and
thus avoidable, by those it is intended to find.

As to restricting it to "coach"; that is also nonsense. Note
the qualifications of the terrorists involved in the latest
UK bombings and the Australian ones implicated - they were
nearly all immigrant doctors. Do you think Bin Laden isn't
aware by now of the system? He certainly has the funding to
send his terrorists First Class - and often enough to get
plenty of FF miles.

Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/
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