What if the Border Patrol Stops You (in 2015)

On April 1, the Texas Standard (the radio show) had a five-minute segment on Customs and Border Patrol stops. (If you want to listen just to that part, it starts about 7 minutes into the show.) The Border Patrol has been setting up checkpoints as far as 100 miles north of the southern border of the United States. Because they have been doing that so far north, a lot of people have been affected.

The Texas Standard wanted to find out what the Border Patrol is authorized to do and what people's rights are. They interviewed a lawyer who works with the Texas branch of the ACLU to find out. She (the lawyer) said:

• The Border Patrol can legally stop someone for no particular reason (they don't need to have a probable cause).
• The Border Patrol can ask questions to find out whether a person is authorized to be in the United States.

A person doesn't have to answer questions that go beyond that and can remain silent. Some people who have remained silent have been delayed or arrested.

The lawyer recommended that people cooperate with the Border Patrol and, if they believe their rights are violated, enter a complaint later.

Since this was only a five-minute segment, I felt that it left a lot of questions unanswered, but at least it explained that much about how the U.S. Government works.