Residents along the southern border of the United States are experiencing interference in their daily lives as the Border Patrol stops them on the road, flies helicopters all night in their neighborhood, and generally put the residents into a state of fear.
They claim that the "border surge" has not only led to the erosion of civil liberties, a decline in tourism and diminishing property values, but that it has forced migrants to trek through remote and dangerous desert areas. Even as overall number of migrants has fallen, figures show, deaths from dehydration and exposure remain constant.
At night in Arivaca, there's a near constant Border Patrol presence, searching for migrants moving under cover of darkness. "Our lives have changed. We have less freedom," says protester Carlotta Wray. "We see helicopters. Border Patrol on the road everywhere. We travel, we get checked." In one encounter a border agent allegedly told a local man: "You have no rights. You're a suspect because you live here."
According to Border Patrol, the Arivaca checkpoint is part of a multi-tiered defence that is successfully reducing the flow of migrants and drugs into the US. "Most cars don't spend more than 10 seconds there," says Border Patrol spokesman Andy Adame. "They ask your citizenship and then you're on your way."
And the winner for the most idiotic statement by a public official today goes to this line:
"Most cars don't spend more than 10 seconds there,"
Now this is multilevel idiocy.
First and foremost as citizens we have protections in our Bill of Rights that clearly state we are not to be searched without probable cause.
The second part of the idiocy is a complete disregard of the citizens of this country in ignoring reality.
What reality you might ask?
Do you see it yet?
Perhaps if you have spent an hour with no air conditioning in your car waiting in line for your "ten second stop" you would see it more quickly.
There is no way that people only are delayed a mere ten seconds. They have to stop their vehicle and wait in line so the Border Patrol agent can commit their act of illegally searching every vehicle.
Ten seconds?
Hahahahahaha.
And no if you turn around because you can't wait they will chase you. Explosive diarrhea is not sufficient reason for you not to submit to their search. Sorry.
And the fact is until we actually do something about the fossil fuels destroying the planet there will be no way to stop the northern migration of climate refugees.
The surge of the last year needs to be squared to get an accurate count of what the next year will be like. And that number needs to be squared again to show the next years movement.
We will not be able to stop them. They are fleeing for their lives.