INS roadblocks

[B the Hiker]

Please pardon me if this was already written about in an earlier thread. I just had a conversation about it this weekend with someone who had been stopped.

Twice that I saw earlier this spring, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (or whatever it's now called under Homeland Security) was stopping cars traveling southbound on I-93 just below exit 32 (the Lincoln/Woodstock exit).

Turns out a friend of mine was stopped, with a passenger from Ireland in the car. The agent asked if there was anyone who wasn't a U.S. citizen, and the person from Ireland was asked to show a visa or greencard, which, having gone up to hike, said person didn't have. The agent gave them a hard time until said person explained it's virtually impossible to get the card replaced if it's lost, so s/he wasn't carrying it.

I'm wondering if others have been stopped, and if anyone actually saw a fellow hiker encounter similar treatments.

 

[giggy]

By a person not having a card - maybe that creates hassles for INS.

It is what it is. This has been going on a for a while. My wife was a green card holder for a few years before becoming a citizen (she is also from ireland). It was always told to her at every INS meeting the card goes everywhere with you.

If I recall, there is printing in bold letters on the card that it must be on the person at all times. No exceptions.

sorry to sound harsh - but your freinds freind didn't follow the rules so the hassle was to be expected.

These guys have a job to do, For every 1000 people that are legit - the one that isn't is the one they have look for. To say the agent gave them a hard time might just be the person doing their job.

I just deal with the roadblock.

 

[SkierSteve]

I've been through these raod blocks many times and on all but one occasion have been simply waived through. They are definately profiling a particular type of vehicle from specific locations.
I spoke with a Border Patrol officer in Lincoln. He was open about the fact that Route 93 has become a major human smuggling route and they are paying more attention than in previous years. Just another sign of the times we live in.

 

[RoySwkr]

As others have mentioned, because I look old & white I'm just waved through Border Patrol checkpoints on I-93 and in AZ.

There is a story years ago about an AMC trip to Boundary Peak in ME, one guy was German but he hadn't brought his passport because after all he thought he was hiking in ME. I believe he just lied and as a non-suspicious type they let him go.

 

[griffin]

We got stopped a year or so ago - same drill, we were asked if everyone in the car was a US citizen, and when my wife said no, the guy demanded to see her passport in a very rude manner, and got even ruder when she tried to explain that she wasn't carrying one.

As in, cut her off in the middle of trying to explain she was a resident alien and carried a green card instead.

That's not "just doing your job" - that's being an ass.

That's the only time we've been stopped, so I don't claim they're all that rude. But I do think the roadblocks are more about making a show than anything else and I suspect our Homeland Security money could be better spent. The roadblocks are so obvious and easy to spot going up, I have a hard time believing a serious smuggler wouldn't know about and avoid them. I'd be very curious to know if they've every actually caught anyone smuggling people or anything else.

 

[Jay H]

I've been stopped before I think even Tuco's and I's trip to NH, we were stopped on I-91. On the Northway (I-87) in the ADKs, they have all these white stripes permanently placed on the road with warnings and orange cones, I agree, I don't see how a serious smuggler would not know an INS checkpoint is up ahead... I'm a US Citizen so that doesn't mean much. Maybe the next time I'll crawl in the trunk and then bang on the roof and answer the officer when he asks if everybody is a US Citizen...

Jay

 

[DrewKnight]

At the risk to taking a turn toward the political, Griffin -- I suspect they only catch onesy-twosies and "dumber" border runners with this kind of strategy. To me, it's not much different from cranking the Homeland Security level to orange: serves to remind the populous that we're supposed to be afraid, but probably doesn't make the borders any less porous or planes any safer.

As you and Jay said, everyone knows about these checkpoints, and the word spreads very quickly when they go up. If you were involved in any kind of trafficking, it's hard to imagine why you would ever use the 93 corridor with this as such a common event. Then again, it's probably a naive, Hollywood view on my part to assume that traffickers are sophisticated in any way. Maybe they catch coyotes in droves, what do I know?

 

[Thclimer]

The I-87 checkpoint is well know for the multiple accidents including deaths:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/23/nyregion/23crashes.html

The terrorists have clearly achieved their goal of killing more Americans and they don’t even have to step foot in the country, we do it to ourselves. These checkpoints are ridiculous.

Do they catch the occasional illegal alien? Yes, every once in a while they find someone. Does that person have a truck full of diesel fuel and fertilizer? No. The individuals who are out to inflict catastrophic loss of life are way smarter than to get caught at checkpoints like this. They must think the terrorist have invented a new “Star Trek” type technology which allows them to ooze up through the ground without crossing the US / Canada boarder. If you have dam, which is leaking water, you don’t go 50 miles down stream and try and plug it, you go back to the source, the hole in the dam. Your efforts will be much more effective plugging the hole there. Get back to the boarder and check more vehicles there, they might even want to patrol some of the back roads which cross the border that don’t have checkpoints.

 

[Tom Rankin]

The I-87 checkpoint is well know for the multiple accidents including deaths:

I have not seen this checkpoint open for several years now. Have you?

 

[Thclimer]

Yes, I've seen it open at least once, possibly twice this year. After the multiple deaths they spent a ton of taxpayer money on message boards and flashing lights warning of the impeding stop ahead, they line the road with thousands of orange traffic cones, they cut rumble strips, they reduce the speed limit to 30mph ½ mile ahead of the checkpoint. The 30mph limit is a good revenue generator for the state as the State Police routinely sit there when its active, and we all know the state needs more money.

 

[David Metsky]

And I think we've passed the point where this relates to hiking.

-dave-