Border check station

[bilgerat57]

If I recall correctly, most if not all, federal agents are NOT connsidered to be peace officers under Texas law. It was and is a confusing subject to me. I look at it like this; 1. There's more of them than there is of me. 2. Chances are they're better armed than I am. 3. Any citizen has the authority to detain you until a peace officer arrives (yes I know, legal liabilities etc..) 4. NEVER fight with any agent on the road (verbal or otherwise). If there's a problem, take it up in court or at the station. More often than not, your attitude will dictate the kind of experience you have.

[Excaliber]

if its my wife and I they usually ask the aforementioned question and then send us on our way with a courteous "Have a good day".

The times I've been through with any male buddies of mine though, and the questions get more in depth and different.

I think my answer to them would be, "last I checked this was still America, I am a citizen, and I don't have to talk with you."

Questions like, "where have you been, where are you going, how do you know this person, etc." bug the heck out of me.

This sounds like a good way to get the Border Patrol to help you find out what's really behind all those door panels, dashboard faceplates, etc. in your car.

[bilgerat57]

if its my wife and I they usually ask the aforementioned question and then send us on our way with a courteous "Have a good day".

The times I've been through with any male buddies of mine though, and the questions get more in depth and different.

I think my answer to them would be, "last I checked this was still America, I am a citizen, and I don't have to talk with you."

Questions like, "where have you been, where are you going, how do you know this person, etc." bug the heck out of me.

This sounds like a good way to get the Border Patrol to help you find out what's really behind all those door panels, dashboard faceplates, etc. in your car.

Wow! I've never seen a car detail stripped on the side of the road........... And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe they are required to re-assemble what they take apart.......Just sayin'

[gigag04]

As a courtesy, show both.

[speedsix]

...now there's some free advice that's worth money...

[The Annoyed Man]

Wow! I've never seen a car detail stripped on the side of the road........... And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe they are required to re-assemble what they take apart.......Just sayin'

I have, and it was one I was a passenger in. And no, they are not required to help you reassemble what they tear apart. The L.A. Co. Sheriff's Deputy I asked for help putting the seats back in the car told me that if I didn't want to take a ride down to County Jail, I would just walk away and leave him alone. I was perfectly respectful when I asked. His tone and attitude were absolutely contemptuous and disrespectful.

They didn't find anything in the car because........well, there wasn't anything in the car. We were on the way home from a movie and got pulled over for having long hair after dark. The year was about 1971, and "we" consisted of my two roommates, a friend, and myself. It was my friend's car. Back then, the LA Co. sheriff's deputies had well-deserved reputations for being unmitigated jerks who routinely abused their authority.

When you demolish someone's possessions on a suspicion which turns out to be unfounded, you sort of have a moral obligation to help make it right. These particular jack-booted storm troopers felt no such particular social responsibility. Thus, they earned their reputations. To the extent that any police officer would still behave that way today, he or she would absolutely deserve the scorn that gets heaped on his or her head. A good officer remembers who he is working for, and who pays his salary. There is no sin in pulling someone over on a suspicion, and I have no problem with that. In fact, I want them to do that. But if the officer's suspicions turn out to have been unfounded, then the object of the officer's suspicion deserves a little respect, and maybe an apology and an explanation of why they were pulled over. Police officers are human, and as such they are certainly as capable as anyone else of making an error in judgement. As long as they don't result in injuries or fatalities, I can forgive a police officer's error in judgement. But that said, he or she should have enough humility and humanity to offer apologies—and just as important, the citizen ought to show enough grace to accept any apologies offered.

But when an officer demolishes that person's belongings and it turns out that person was innocent of any wrong-doing, then if the officer refuses to at least try to help make it right (or as in my case actually makes a threat against the citizen just because he/she asked for help), that makes that officer no better than a common thug.

Having actually been there myself, I have fairly strong feelings about this subject.

[speedsix]

...it was a lot rougher and woolier back then...for sure...'specially for some folks..."outa the car,Longhair!!!" din't just happen to get into a song...
...I wonder...if either LEOS in the civilian realm or ICE agents or even DEA/FBI ever deep searched my car without having gotten a warrant first...and found nothing...which they would...would they be civilly liable to put my car back together and repair any damage??? I understand that having gotten a judge to sign a warrant would probably excuse them, since they had to show him enough that he believed there was cause to search....never had it come up...never read about it...

[gigag04]

I agree with you TAM, except I take it farther - even if your suspicions are correct, it is still decent to be respectful to the extent possible. Case in point, I have ridden someone to the ground while still referring to them as sir.

[The Annoyed Man]

I agree with you TAM, except I take it farther - even if your suspicions are correct, it is still decent to be respectful to the extent possible. Case in point, I have ridden someone to the ground while still referring to them as sir.

Absolutely, and thank you for endorsing my sentiment. Somewhere along the line, you may have to go to trial as a witness against that person, and in a day and age of dash-cams (they didn't have them back when the 1971 incident I described above happened), not only is it the decent thing to do, but it will reinforce your testimony.

[speedsix]

...I've arrested murderers when the blood was still dripping...armed robbers and burglars..you name it...still treating them with respect and common courtesy... might not put out the fire...but it never makes it worse...a man who just messed up bigtime is still a man and should be treated like one...don't want to be the kind of man who kicks 'em while they're down...

[bilgerat57]

Wow! I've never seen a car detail stripped on the side of the road........... And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe they are required to re-assemble what they take apart.......Just sayin'

I have, and it was one I was a passenger in. And no, they are not required to help you reassemble what they tear apart. The L.A. Co. Sheriff's Deputy I asked for help putting the seats back in the car told me that if I didn't want to take a ride down to County Jail, I would just walk away and leave him alone. I was perfectly respectful when I asked. His tone and attitude were absolutely contemptuous and disrespectful.

They didn't find anything in the car because........well, there wasn't anything in the car. We were on the way home from a movie and got pulled over for having long hair after dark. The year was about 1971, and "we" consisted of my two roommates, a friend, and myself. It was my friend's car. Back then, the LA Co. sheriff's deputies had well-deserved reputations for being unmitigated jerks who routinely abused their authority.

When you demolish someone's possessions on a suspicion which turns out to be unfounded, you sort of have a moral obligation to help make it right. These particular jack-booted storm troopers felt no such particular social responsibility. Thus, they earned their reputations. To the extent that any police officer would still behave that way today, he or she would absolutely deserve the scorn that gets heaped on his or her head. A good officer remembers who he is working for, and who pays his salary. There is no sin in pulling someone over on a suspicion, and I have no problem with that. In fact, I want them to do that. But if the officer's suspicions turn out to have been unfounded, then the object of the officer's suspicion deserves a little respect, and maybe an apology. Police officers are certainly as capable as anyone else of making an error. He or should ought to have enough humility to offer apologies—and just as important, the citizen ought to show enough grace to accept any apologies offered.

If the officer demolishes that person's belongings and it turns out that person was innocent of any wrong-doing, then if the officer refuses to at least try to help make it right (or as in my case actually makes a threat against the citizen), that makes that officer no better than a common thug.

Having actually been there myself, I have fairly strong feelings about this subject.

I remember those days. Hair was almost a political statement back then....... I feel fairly safe in saying that most PD's now won't pull that kind of stunt without some kind of provocation. It's a lot of hassle for them to explain the complaint, and citizens complaints mean a lot more now than they did back then. I have heard of border stations ......."making a point"...... to specific individuals once in a while because someone was particularly obnoxious or just plain nasty.

[J.R.@A&M]

My attitude at border check stations is consistently polite. So the main variable in how much they asked me was the time they had to ask. When the line of cars was backed up on Hwy77 or 281, it was mainly "Are you a U.S. citizen?" If that... sometimes they just waved me on. If there wasn't any traffic, they also tended to ask where I was headed, or whether there was anybody in the car with me. And run the drug sniffing dog by my car.

[G26ster]

Maybe someone from down El Paso way will correct me, but I've been through that station east of El Paso numerous times (but not in the past 5 years) and I recall it being clearly marked as an "Agricultural" checkpoint.

[NavAir]

Back to the original question...

I have transited that particular CBP checkpoint many times while CC, as has my FIL. No problems at all. I do produce my CHL if asked for ID (once). The agent asked if I was carrying, I said yes, he asked where, I said right waistband...

"Have a nice day"...

[johnson0317]

We were on the way home from a movie and got pulled over for having long hair after dark. The year was about 1971, and "we" consisted of my two roommates, a friend, and myself. It was my friend's car. Back then, the LA Co. sheriff's deputies had well-deserved reputations for being unmitigated jerks who routinely abused their authority.

I got pulled over, around 1978, by a couple of officers in Lincoln, Nebraska. The cause? "Sir, you kept staring at us in your rearview mirror, is there something you need to be nervous about?" Yes, officer, I am always nervous when there is a police car right behind me". The officer at least had the grace to laugh and then leave me alone.

RJ