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Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
I just returned to my upstate New York home from a cross country vacation by
rail. I'll have other posts in various newsgroups about aspects of the trip. But I wanted to comment about this incident. 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. They did not ask for papers or identification. I heard that they did take someone off the train from another car. I spoke to the conductor about this since it further delayed a train that was already running 45 minutes late. The conductor said that it doesn't happen for every train, but it happens frequently. He also mentioned that the officers do not go through the first class sleeper cars. Legally, I don't think traveling by Amtrak is any different than driving on highways. 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). This train never crossed a border. And the officers did not bother with the presumably wealthier sleeper passengers. I think that at best, this is a huge waste of government resources. If they are really looking for illegal aliens, they know where to look: the work places where the illegals work for peanuts. If they are looking for terrorists, then they should concentrate on the borders and international airline terminals. 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. -- Bill in Schenectady |
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
I just returned to my upstate New York home from a cross country vacation by rail. I'll have other posts in various newsgroups about aspects of the trip. But I wanted to comment about this incident. 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. They did not ask for papers or identification. I heard that they did take someone off the train from another car. I spoke to the conductor about this since it further delayed a train that was already running 45 minutes late. The conductor said that it doesn't happen for every train, but it happens frequently. He also mentioned that the officers do not go through the first class sleeper cars. Legally, I don't think traveling by Amtrak is any different than driving on highways. 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). This train never crossed a border. And the officers did not bother with the presumably wealthier sleeper passengers. (Snipped) -- Bill in Schenectady 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. Fred Ellis -- Who do you serve. . . . And who do you trust? (To e-mail me, remove the X from my address) |
#3
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
"Fred Ellis" wrote in message ... Bill in Schenectady wrote: I just returned to my upstate New York home from a cross country vacation by rail. I'll have other posts in various newsgroups about aspects of the trip. But I wanted to comment about this incident. 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. They did not ask for papers or identification. I heard that they did take someone off the train from another car. I spoke to the conductor about this since it further delayed a train that was already running 45 minutes late. The conductor said that it doesn't happen for every train, but it happens frequently. He also mentioned that the officers do not go through the first class sleeper cars. Legally, I don't think traveling by Amtrak is any different than driving on highways. 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). This train never crossed a border. And the officers did not bother with the presumably wealthier sleeper passengers. (Snipped) -- Bill in Schenectady 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. Fred Ellis -- I do frequently travel on I-87 in northern New York's Adirondack Mountains. For a while there was a permanent road block about 50 miles south of the Canadian border...on a blind curve in a very rural area. After a semi plowed into a stopped car, killing several, local uproar over this stop forced the feds to shut it down at least some of the time. I'm going up that way tomorrow so I'll see if they have reopened it. I still think it's dumb. Protect the borders at the borders. |
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Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
"Stephan in Burlington" wrote in message news On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 01:44:38 GMT, while the Captain of the mv Perfecto was guiding her to her next port, "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. They did not ask for papers or identification. I heard that they did take someone off the train from another car. Since the train stopped in Buffalo, I wonder if maybe it is because of a crime committed in Canada, and police here notifying border crossings about a suspect on the loose. When police here can't find a suspect, they quite often notify not only other Ontario police forces, but also all border crossings. From there, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine the information getting to Homeland Security, and thus DHS paying particular attention to trains that stop in Buffalo. If that were the case, they wouldn't have to ask for identification if they had a good description of the suspect. It's just a thought. Stephan in Burlington That sounds unlikely since the conductor did say that this is very common...meaning this happens on most of the trains. And if this was the case, there would be no need to question each passenger in coach class, especially if they had a description. |
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
I still think it's dumb. Protect the borders at the borders. I live 6 miles from the Mexican border. The Border Patrol does its job but illegals do slip through. Many, many of them are caught at checkpoints along US 281 and US 77. Those checkpoints are located 70+ miles north of the Rio Grande. The local media reports on the catching of illegal immigrants and drug shipments at these checkpoints on an almost daily basis. -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life |
#6
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
"Janet Wilder" wrote in message ... Bill in Schenectady wrote: I still think it's dumb. Protect the borders at the borders. I live 6 miles from the Mexican border. The Border Patrol does its job but illegals do slip through. Many, many of them are caught at checkpoints along US 281 and US 77. Those checkpoints are located 70+ miles north of the Rio Grande. The local media reports on the catching of illegal immigrants and drug shipments at these checkpoints on an almost daily basis. -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life I suppose I shouldn't compare the southern border with the northern. Relatively few illegal immigrants come over from Canada. I rarely hear of anyone being caught due to checkpoints near the Canadian border (or even at the border itself). In fact, the guy with the TB case came across on the I-87 crossing from Canada into New York State. He was on a watch list, and border patrol just waved him through. The same border patrol treated my family of four, with two teenaged girls, rather roughly when we came through the same crossing last year. They showed us who was boss, but didn't catch someone on a watch list. |
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Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
"Bill in Schenectady" wrote in message news:MIfmi.4061$7R4.3490@trndny09... That sounds unlikely since the conductor did say that this is very common...meaning this happens on most of the trains. And if this was the case, there would be no need to question each passenger in coach class, especially if they had a description. Immigration is concerned with more than just Mexicans. And given that the fastest growing group in Canada right now starts with I and ends with slam, what they are doing might not be a bad thing. Once west of the great lakes the border between Canada and the USA is damn near imposable to secure unless we put troops on the border spaced every 100 yards, would to be every 25 yards in some places unless we started clear cutting vegetation. Seems no matter what they do someone is saying its to much, and someone else is saying it wasn't enough. Whitelightning. |
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
Bada bing Bill in Schenectady bada bang:
I do frequently travel on I-87 in northern New York's Adirondack Mountains. For a while there was a permanent road block about 50 miles south of the Canadian border...on a blind curve in a very rural area. After a semi plowed into a stopped car, killing several, local uproar over this stop forced the feds to shut it down at least some of the time. I'm going up that way tomorrow so I'll see if they have reopened it. I still think it's dumb. Protect the borders at the borders. Not that it's a smarter place, but it seems to have moved about another fifty miles south. My son and I went through just such a check on the way back from a visit to Plattsburgh. We were allowed to proceed after a anwering with a convincing "yes" to the question of our citizenship. Mike "not that we'd lie" Yetto -- "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - John Adams |
#9
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Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
"Whitelightning" wrote in message news:Magmi.1565$gC5.1137@trnddc04... "Bill in Schenectady" wrote in message news:MIfmi.4061$7R4.3490@trndny09... That sounds unlikely since the conductor did say that this is very common...meaning this happens on most of the trains. And if this was the case, there would be no need to question each passenger in coach class, especially if they had a description. Immigration is concerned with more than just Mexicans. And given that the fastest growing group in Canada right now starts with I and ends with slam, what they are doing might not be a bad thing. Once west of the great lakes the border between Canada and the USA is damn near imposable to secure unless we put troops on the border spaced every 100 yards, would to be every 25 yards in some places unless we started clear cutting vegetation. Seems no matter what they do someone is saying its to much, and someone else is saying it wasn't enough. Whitelightning. Well, this was at the Buffalo stop. The train runs from Chicago to NYC. Between Chicago and Syracuse, the only crossings from Canada are over bridges. So, why didn't they also check first class? Why don't they put road blocks on the Thruway? Seems to me that they only look at public transportation since that's what the poor people use. The real terrorists, though, have resources. They by airline tickets. |
#10
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Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
On Jul 14, 7:32 pm, "Bill in Schenectady" wrote:
"Fred Ellis" wrote in message ... Bill in Schenectady wrote: I just returned to my upstate New York home from a cross country vacation by rail. I'll have other posts in various newsgroups about aspects of the trip. But I wanted to comment about this incident. 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. They did not ask for papers or identification. I heard that they did take someone off the train from another car. I spoke to the conductor about this since it further delayed a train that was already running 45 minutes late. The conductor said that it doesn't happen for every train, but it happens frequently. He also mentioned that the officers do not go through the first class sleeper cars. Legally, I don't think traveling by Amtrak is any different than driving on highways. 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). This train never crossed a border. And the officers did not bother with the presumably wealthier sleeper passengers. (Snipped) -- Bill in Schenectady 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. Fred Ellis -- I do frequently travel on I-87 in northern New York's Adirondack Mountains. For a while there was a permanent road block about 50 miles south of the Canadian border...on a blind curve in a very rural area. After a semi plowed into a stopped car, killing several, local uproar over this stop forced the feds to shut it down at least some of the time. I'm going up that way tomorrow so I'll see if they have reopened it. I still think it's dumb. Protect the borders at the borders That's a dumb statement. So you are saying they should not raid illegal sweat shops in NYC or LA for illegal immigrants? |
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