While driving to a remote work site late in the evening on May 14, 2008, I was targeted by
While driving to a remote work site late in the evening on May 14, 2008, I was targeted by a Federal Homeland Security Agent on roving patrol and followed for several miles along SR86 in Southern Arizona. After following me for some distance, the agent initiated a traffic stop absent reasonable suspicion along a deserted stretch of this unlit two lane highway. There were no developed shoulders along the side of the road making it impossible to completely pull out of the lane of traffic.
Additionally, the presence of several blind curves in the area make for dangerous conditions, especially at night. Testifying to this fact are multiple makeshift crosses from roadside memorials in the area.
SR86 is a public highway that runs East - West. It's also over 40 miles North of the international border with Mexico and never intersects the border at any point.
When I first noticed the vehicle, it was the second one behind me and closely trailing the car in front of it. Aggressive and dangerous driving by DHS Agents operating in the area is not uncommon. At the time, I couldn't make out any markings so I wasn't sure if it was a DHS vehicle. It was riding high off the ground however with headlights and a rough outline resembling the commonly seen CBP vans & trucks in the area diverted from the border to target domestic traffic.
After following me for several miles, the agent turned on his flashing red & blue lights and passed the vehicle in front of him. He stayed in the opposite lane until the distance between myself and the other car widened enough for his patrol vehicle to squeeze in behind me.
I pulled over a short distance later and turned on my video camera. The agent's radio was on as he approached and I could hear someone state a 10-29 check on me had come back negative (check for wanted) followed by my name, a description of my vehicle and my address.
Standing slightly back from the driver's side door, the agent said nothing as he shined his flashlight into my vehicle. With my camera up however, he began backing away a short time later.
As he backed away, I asked him why he stopped me and what his name was. He stood behind my vehicle and said nothing. The second time I asked, the agent indicated he wanted me to roll my window down but otherwise refused to identify himself or the reason why he stopped me. Since he initiated the stop, his refusal to inform me as to who he was, why he stopped me, or even make any inquiries was very strange indeed.
A few moments later, the agent went back to his vehicle and drove away without any explanation as to why he arrested my travels and invaded my privacy.
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Added: 2 months ago
Views: 8,658
The Homeland Security checkpoint seizure depicted in this video is the first one where I w
The Homeland Security checkpoint seizure depicted in this video is the first one where I was stopped & seized in the presence of a drug dog during the day.
This footage should quiet those critics who claim these checkpoints are no big deal because they're only being used to check citizenship status.
Now it would appear that Homeland Security not only suspects everyone of being an illegal immigrant, now they suspect everyone of being drug smugglers as well.
Remember,this checkpoint is located over 40 miles North of the border along a public highway that never intersects the border at any point.
Lest critics claim the use of drug dogs at internal 'immigration' checkpoints are a rare occurrence, I also point you to an article detailing the use of Homeland Security drug dogs at a Yuma, AZ checkpoint based upon a joint agreement with the Yuma County Sheriff known as 'Operation Citation'. The operation specifically targets recreational drug users & demonstrates the inevitable mission creep associated with the use of suspicionless checkpoints by Homeland security:
http://phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-03-13/news/border-patrol-che ckpoints-near-yuma-nab-hordes-of-pot-users-headed-back-from- the-beach/full
I note that the U.S. Supreme Court specifically struck down as unconstitutional checkpoints used to detect the presence of illegal narcotics in City of Indianapolis v. Edmund in 2000.
This prohibition obviously hasn't even slowed down the Department of Homeland Security.
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Added: 1 month ago
Views: 4,828
The internal suspicionless Homeland Security checkpoint seizure depicted in this video too
The internal suspicionless Homeland Security checkpoint seizure depicted in this video took place on April 22, 2008 - over 40 miles North of the border along Southern Arizona's SR86 near mile marker 146.
Both agents working primary have also stopped me in the recent past. The videos of these previous stops can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ8dothFvx8
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC1hXigi6xc
Unlike the previous stops however where I was waved through relatively quickly, this time around Agent's Cruz & Villa played tag team during the stop & illegally detained me absent reasonable suspicion for close to ten minutes. This despite the fact that both agents know who I am and that I'm not an illegal alien.
Instead this was merely another exercise in obedience training and dominance games absent reasonable suspicion along a public highway inside the country.
One of my goals in documenting these checkpoint encounters is to demonstrate their arbitrary nature and intrusiveness on the traveling public.
While such suspicionless enforcement tactics are commonplace in third world dictatorships, they have no place in a Constitutional Republic such as ours. Especially considering that more efficient enforcement alternatives are available to the Border Patrol if the agency is really interested in 'securing' the border. One such alternative being to actually patrol it - something these agents weren't doing because they were too busy interfering with the traveling rights of domestic travelers.
There's a reason why the 4th amendment prohibits unreasonable search & seizure. The increasing hostility being directed against individuals who object to these suspicionless enforcement tactics is one of them.
The 'writ of assistance' was supposed to have disappeared generations ago after the overthrow of the British government. Unfortunately, the spirit of the writ lives on within those who seek to dominate & control instead of serve & protect.
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Added: 1 month ago
Views: 7,883
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On April 1, 2008 I was briefly stopped at the same internal suspicionless Homeland Securit
On April 1, 2008 I was briefly stopped at the same internal suspicionless Homeland Security checkpoint I've been stopped & seized at many times before (note - I incorrectly indicated it was April 2nd in the video).
This checkpoint has been in continuous operation, day & night, since January 2008. It's located over 40 miles North of the border along SR86, near mile marker 146, in Southern Arizona.
While this particular checkpoint stop is relatively unremarkable as far as suspicionless seizures by armed federal agents go, I post it for its historical significance.
Agent Villa, the stopping agent, allows me to pass with minimum fuss. This isn't the case several weeks later when Agent Villa along with Agent Cruz stop and seize me again at the same checkpoint.
As such, this video serves as a useful reference point for future encounters.
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Added: 1 month ago
Views: 2,607
On March 21, 2008 I was briefly stopped at the same internal suspicionless Homeland Securi
On March 21, 2008 I was briefly stopped at the same internal suspicionless Homeland Security checkpoint I've been stopped & seized at many times before.
This checkpoint has been in continuous operation, day & night, since January 2008. It's located over 40 miles North of the border along SR86, near mile marker 146, in Southern Arizona.
While this particular checkpoint stop is relatively unremarkable as far as suspicionless seizures by armed federal agents go, I post it for its historical significance.
Agent Cruz, the stopping agent, allows me to pass with minimum fuss. This isn't the case a month later when Agent Cruz along with Agent Villa stop and seize me again at the same checkpoint.
As such, this video serves as a good reference point for future encounters.
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Added: 1 month ago
Views: 2,679
This video is #6 in an ongoing series highlighting my seizures at an internal suspicionles
This video is #6 in an ongoing series highlighting my seizures at an internal suspicionless Homeland Security checkpoint in Southern Arizona.
This seizure took place on March 3, 2008 over 40 miles North of the border on SR86 near mile marker 146.
The stopping agent is the same one who has stopped me on multiple occasions in the past and knows exactly who I am and why I'm traveling along the road. Nonetheless, he insists on playing domination games while making conflicting statements regarding my status (i.e. whether or not I'm being detained).
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Added: 2 months ago
Views: 4,782
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On the afternoon of February 1, 2008, I was stopped yet again at a suspicionless internal
On the afternoon of February 1, 2008, I was stopped yet again at a suspicionless internal Homeland Security checkpoint on SR86 in Southern Arizona near mile post 146. The location is over 40 miles North of the border.
This was the fifth time in three weeks I've been stopped & seized at this checkpoint absent reasonable suspicion. Normally, there are only three or four agents present with two patrol vehicles parked nearby. This time the scenario were dramatically different.
Present were no less than twelve agents visible at any given time along with six Homeland Security vehicles lining the entry to the checkpoint. There was also a large United States flag flying over one of the trailers - something that hasn't been present before. Perhaps the agents were hoping the large American flag would somehow mask their un-American activities.
As I first came to a stop at the checkpoint, several agents converged on my vehicle and one can be heard pounding on the truck near time marker 01:15. About nine seconds later, another agent to the rear of my vehicle can be heard yelling, "Hi Terry". This of course clearly indicates the agents knew who I was and, by extension, that I wasn't an illegal alien. Nonetheless, the agents continued to detain me at the checkpoint for several minutes in order to harass and intimidate.
As the suspicionless seizure of my person continued, a Homeland Security agent can be seen waving at me near 02:09 while several high(er) ranking agents can be seen near 02:13 standing in the background looking on with satisfaction. Whether or not they were also onscene to make sure things didn't get out of hand during the staged confrontation is unknown.
As time progressed, another agent wearing blue 'inspection' gloves and carrying a sprint camera phone (service issue?) can be seen walking around the vehicle methodically taking photographs. His name tag indicates he is 'J. Gonzalez'. The tags appear to be attached with velcro however and are easily removed. As such, I give little credence to the validity of a name displayed on a tag - especially when the agents refuse to verify their identity.
Near 02:39, one of the agents who initially waved at me can be seen shaking hands with another agent. Finally, near 03:22, the same agent who yelled my name during the initial stop, yelled 'Bye Terry' after I was given permission to go on my way after Homeland Security finished having its fun.
I also note the stopping agent, 'K. June' according to her name tag, refused to face me after directing me to stop. Instead, she pressed herself up against the cab of the vehicle between the two side doors just out of view. This was the same agent who stopped me on January 8th:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u6uw7506xMw
Along with a night stop with drug dogs on January 23rd:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TuIwz8ddAYo
Another male agent also decided to play hide and seek while pressing himself up against the passenger side of the cab between the front and rear doors.
Approximately thirty minutes after I passed through the checkpoint, only four or five agents remained on-scene to conduct operations. This means the rest of the 'gang with guns' left the scene shortly after the staged show of force ended.
While watching the video, consider the lack of professionalism displayed by these Border Patrol agents at every level. These are the same agents who have been empowered with an extraordinary level of unfettered field discretion to stop, seize and detain individuals based upon no reasonable suspicion whatsoever. Also ask yourself how much illegal traffic crossed the border forty miles to the South of this checkpoint while twelve Homeland Security agents played domination games along a public highway that never intersects the border at any point.
The 4th amendment was specifically created to protect us against this type of arbitrary enforcement activity by over-reaching federal agencies. It would seem however that the 'writ of assistance' is alive and well in modern day America and everyone is now considered a suspect.
Far from increasing the security of the country, these checkpoints serve as little more than obedience training for the burgeoning American police state.
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Added: 5 months ago
Views: 36,207
While driving home from work on January 23, 2008, I was stopped at a suspicionless homelan
While driving home from work on January 23, 2008, I was stopped at a suspicionless homeland security checkpoint 40 miles North of the border on Southern Arizona's SR86 near mile marker 146.
The agents were searching vehicles, interrogating vehicle occupants regarding citizenship status and running a drug dog around stopped vehicles - all absent reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.
Problems with my camera prevented me from videotaping the entire stop. I was however quickly waved through after the agents realized I was recording the encounter.
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Added: 6 months ago
Views: 13,370
On January 20, 2008, I was seized for a third time at a Southern Arizona internal suspicio
On January 20, 2008, I was seized for a third time at a Southern Arizona internal suspicionless homeland security checkpoint.
This checkpoint has been in operation for at least two weeks at a location over 40 miles North of the Southern border along SR86 in Southern Arizona
More information about this stop can be found at:
http://checkpointusa.org/blog/index.php/2008/01/21/p83
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Added: 6 months ago
Views: 17,668
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