Stopped by Border Patrol...

[IBMMuseum]

A new one on me for this area. We were on our way home from my military Reserve duty (unlike many of the other times I changed out of uniform to be more comfortable on the drive) less than a half-hour from home in southwest New Mexico. I had a blazer tailgating us for several minutes while going the posted limit, enough to make me uncomfortable for why it didn't pass us.

When a clear section of the road opened up the vehicle went to pass us, then with a car coming the other way, dropped back behind and then lit us up (lights, no siren). I thought it was the police at first, which confused me for why we were being pulled over. My last ticket was in 1993, and usually the cops run the plates before a stop unless it is an event requiring a quicker response.

He did a standard "felony stop" and identified who he was and the agency. Since it was uncommon and we haven't had to worry about any documentation in the past I was still trying to bend my mind around the traffic stop (after a weekend of too little sleep, and approaching the end of a four hour drive). We have an NM plate, but maybe he saw our sleeping bags at the back of the van and thought it matched some profile (how about stopping that car with Canadian plates?).

Pretty much the standard question about asking if everyone in the vehicle was a U.S. citizen. When I replied about my wife and stepchildren being Mexican citizens he was almost walking away while he asked that we "had the proper documents". I guess it is enough for them that no one would lie after saying that there is other than U.S. citizens in the vehicle.

He turned around after the stop, headed back south probably to watch for other certain vehicles northbound. I think it was because we went a straighter route (we have learned my youngest stepdaughter gets carsick through the mountains) that could be used to avoid a BP checkpoint on the interstate (and also goes through an area where migrants pick chile and onions). If that were the case he was tailing us for quite some distance or they have some visual sensor that alerted them.

It still had a side effect of a little humiliation for my wife because with the few minutes of delay for the stop she missed by a few seconds to wet herself (no jokes about "Mojada" please) running into the house as we arrived. She was calm for the stop (the pee in the pants was later), maybe because we are starting to feel maybe too comfortable with nothing to worry about. It still would have me wondering if she was travelling without me as to how they could be.

Ok, my area might not be good for a meeting place now. It put me in the frame of mind this morning to have my eldest stepdaughter take in her visa, passport, and military dependants' ID card for her first day at school as well. Looking forward to a time in the future when they are checking papers that we can reply that yes, everyone in the vehicle is a U.S. citizen, Thank You for asking.

[IBMMuseum]

Another trip to Juarez and back, another Border Patrol stop. Last night as we were headed home, the checkpoint on I-10 west of Las Cruces was fully closed (when we went down on Saturday we looked over to see them using dogs on many vehicles, with traffic backed up for some distance) and my youngest stepdaughter had to go to the bathroom (#2, so then all the kids are joking about the movie "Rat Race") once we passed it. Until we pulled in to a little tourist exit (billboard facades to make it look like a Western town) for the facilities we didn't notice it was closed for the night too.

There were two Border Patrol officers (one vehicle) filling up at the closed gas station watching us turn around the "town" parking lot in our 13 year old Caravan, then they followed us at a distance as we got back on I-10 westbound. Sure enough, a mile down the interstate they lit us up. We must have sat for about five minutes even before they approached the vehicle on the right side for my wife in the passenger seat.

A very young (as I say, I've been serving my country longer than some of these guys have been alive) Caucasian officer greeted us in Spanish (never identifying an agency, position, or name). We still had all the passports (mine and my eldest stepdaughter's boyfriend as U.S. citizens, my wife and three stepchildren having their Mexican passports with the K-3/K-4 visas inside) together from the border crossing an hour before, my wife handing them to him without explanation to say "Here are all the documents.". He leafed through them, of course immediately handing back the two U.S. passports (never asking anyone about citizenship).

Then he prompted "Where are you going to?". I answered back our hometown, an hour and a half drive further, added to the delays of however long these guys are going to take. Next question: "Where were you driving from?". "Cuidad Juarez". "What were you doing in Mexico?". I pointed to my wife, without identifying who she was to me (it does have "... de ..." on her visa denoting her marriage to me, but he probably didn't look at my passport long enough) "Her brother got married in Juarez.".

Walking back to his partner (a Latino male, maybe in his 30's, maybe a trainer by them being paired together) and they conferred for another few minutes. Coming forward again "Ok, who got married?". "Her brother." Flashlight goes around the back of our van, (Mexican) passports still in hand, children's eyes blinking back at him (and our youngest being a trooper, not complaining about having to go to the bathroom now, despite the delay, me almost thinking they'll ask to see beneath the packages in the back for a search of the mentioned, supposably undocumented, brother of my wife).

To the back of the vehicle, another conference (the other officer never came too far forward, maybe to train, maybe for the cases when a vehicle would decide to run from them). After another couple minutes (I was ready to ask if they wanted me to start from the beginning) he came forward again, handed the remaining passports back to my wife, and said "You can go.". Even now I think he doesn't understand the relationships we had in the vehicle, or the fact that my brother-in-law was happily home in Juarez with his new wife, no desire to come documented or undocumented to the United States.

The next exit we could was a bathroom stop, with our youngest in there for an equal amount of time. A few of us others also went. Only once arriving home did my wife and I think of having the BPE officers notarize something to show that they stopped the family all together, maybe something to prove our marriage and family really is legitimate. Of course we didn't have the time then, it would have confused them more, and I don't know whether that would truly do any good.

And face it, with the amount of stops so far, it's bound to happen again before everyone in the family has U.S. citizenship...

More to come on the more stressful "stop" of the weekend later...

[LilB]

There's more?!?!?! Oh my gosh!!! You poor thing!!! I would have been livid!!!

[Marie]

I never saw this posts but oh my gosh! Sounds like that young guy had no idea what he was doing and sounds like he thinks everyone in the world wants to come to the US.

[egonzalez1975]

Completely frustrating!!!! :curse:

[IBMMuseum]

There's more?!?!?! Oh my gosh!!! You poor thing!!! I would have been livid!!!

No, the "more stressful stop" is completely unrelated to the law on either side of the border:

On Saturday we wanted to go to a bank around 3:00 PM to pay for the FMTs of my parents and myself for our trip to the interior in July. Since we didn't want to lose our parking place in the Los Cedros lot, we decided to walk. Exiting the gate, we were whistled back by the security guard that we asked directions from. He went and got the Los Cedros driver to take us on our errand.

After travelling south some distance, we began to recognize the neighborhood as where my brother-in-law (the one getting married that night) lived with the wife that got a wild hair a few months before to have him evicted from the house after a 30 year marriage and four grown sons. There were other banks on the way of course, so we don't know why he picked that area. The bank wouldn't take payments on the FMTs anyway, so we had the driver wait while we went to an adjoining pharmacy for tapeworm pills (my wife can't find them in the U.S.).

While waiting at the pharmacy, the sister-in-law, now ex-wife, saw and walked up to greet us! She didn't know that her husband of some months ago was getting remarried that very night, and thankfully didn't see us in the logo-ed van to realize we lied our way out explaining the purpose of the trip (like everyone makes a weekend trip for tapeworm medicine, to a pharmacy in the middle of Juarez). My wife says I was mind-jinxing us when I recognized the neighborhood early-on.

Dunno why it happened, maybe just to wrap things up with her (FWIW, she was always very helpful to us for the Consulate trip we made in May, staying in that yet-unbroken home at that time)...

My brother-in-law is happy again after the hell she put him through for a few months, and no, he was always a devoted husband and providing father, very religious...

I'm going to start shooting videos so we can be in a novela... :bounce:

[Cynthia]

oh my... the BP deals are just too much...:(

[JennyM]

Pretty soon they (BP/ICE) will be everywhere asking people for papers...like a license check! I think it would get worse if Hilary becomes president.

[LilB]

I know, right? Hilary scares me!!!!!!

[SHELLYFCO]

IBM, your stories always keep me at the edge of my seat, though I'm sure they are fictional. Sounds like you are a magnet for BP stops. I felt the same way every weekend crossing from Mexico to U.S. I had my trunk and car searched so many times, I was about to start charging them for a look. Hang in there, once you're all USC's, life will be grand.

[milliesmom]

Are you sure you don't have a Mexican license plate or something? Sounds too weird. Maybe they just see a van with lots of people and immediately think "pollero!"

[IBMMuseum]

IBM, your stories always keep me at the edge of my seat, though I'm sure they are fictional. Sounds like you are a magnet for BP stops. I felt the same way every weekend crossing from Mexico to U.S. I had my trunk and car searched so many times, I was about to start charging them for a look. Hang in there, once you're all USC's, life will be grand.

Events happen to me in a strange way, to give me a lesson or a view on something. The stories are totally true. I don't think I could make them up.

What is really strange is when I am travelling alone in the same vehicle I don't have any troubles at all. Same routes, same time of day, same conditions of seeing the Border Patrol vehicles.

They might be more suspicious seeing more people in the van, the bedding (that isn't there without my family along). The strange detours for a bathroom break or some other detail that is picked up. Maybe they develop a sense on the job.

We aren't offended by the stops, just that they can be a bit inconveinant. It's a drag explaining the same thing over and over. But it's the area we live in, and a focus on Mexican citizens, just like my family is.

But I still say that the rank and file of Border Patrol officers don't have a clue about all the different visa types, and the scare is when I am not there to explain things...

[IBMMuseum]

Are you sure you don't have a Mexican license plate or something? Sounds too weird. Maybe they just see a van with lots of people and immediately think "pollero!"

No, it is a *New* Mexican license plate. Last night I was about to have my wife pull out her NM driver's license and military dependants' ID card. And to pull out mine.

[nineten]

Border patrol has their eyes on vans from Mexico, on up, on I-10 (major corridor) all the way to 75S in Florida because of smuggling. Especially those that the tires look a little low from too much weight. Vans get stopped all the time. There's also certain stereotypes that patrol are looking for which we might not even be able to fathom what some are.

Drugs also are an issue. I got stopped in TX going north when I had Ohio plates. There'd been recent drug busts on that route. I didn't have a clue until somebody else that was married to an officer told me. Sometimes they can be stopping vehicles when they're actually on the search for somebody in particular but they're not going to inform you of it when they stop you.

[Marie]

But I still say that the rank and file of Border Patrol officers don't have a clue about all the different visa types, and the scare is when I am not there to explain things...

That reminds of the airlines and explaining what an "advance parole" document was. She embarrassed me completely at the check in and ranted and raved about how I'd never get back in the country and surely I must be a criminal of some sort. Her "experts" she had called had never heard of it either so it must be fake.

It does have to frustrating for you IBM to have to go through it over and over. You're taking better than most would, that's for sure.

[SHELLYFCO]

Events happen to me in a strange way, to give me a lesson or a view on something. The stories are totally true. I don't think I could make them up.

What is really strange is when I am travelling alone in the same vehicle I don't have any troubles at all. Same routes, same time of day, same conditions of seeing the Border Patrol vehicles.

They might be more suspicious seeing more people in the van, the bedding (that isn't there without my family along). The strange detours for a bathroom break or some other detail that is picked up. Maybe they develop a sense on the job.

We aren't offended by the stops, just that they can be a bit inconveinant. It's a drag explaining the same thing over and over. But it's the area we live in, and a focus on Mexican citizens, just like my family is.

But I still say that the rank and file of Border Patrol officers don't have a clue about all the different visa types, and the scare is when I am not there to explain things...

I just re-read my post....I meant to say, I'm sure you wish they were fictional

[SHELLYFCO]

Events happen to me in a strange way, to give me a lesson or a view on something. The stories are totally true. I don't think I could make them up.

What is really strange is when I am travelling alone in the same vehicle I don't have any troubles at all. Same routes, same time of day, same conditions of seeing the Border Patrol vehicles.

They might be more suspicious seeing more people in the van, the bedding (that isn't there without my family along). The strange detours for a bathroom break or some other detail that is picked up. Maybe they develop a sense on the job.

We aren't offended by the stops, just that they can be a bit inconveinant. It's a drag explaining the same thing over and over. But it's the area we live in, and a focus on Mexican citizens, just like my family is.

But I still say that the rank and file of Border Patrol officers don't have a clue about all the different visa types, and the scare is when I am not there to explain things...

I can completely relate. My husband is afraid to leave the country even though he has his K-1 Visa and I-551 Stamp...he won't leave until he has the Green Card in hand which hopefully all BPA are familiar with. There are so many horror stories of interrogrations, whereas the BPA claims that the Mexican Citizen claims to be USC after hours of interrogation. Wishing you and your family safe travels. At some point, it could be considered harrassment. They sure don't take a moment to stop the numerous, non-law abiding Illegal Aliens in my town, or the drug abusers for that matter.

P.S. Sorry about the early post, I was so anxious to reply that all the words didn't come out correctly. Your stories are too crazy not to be true!

[angela256z]

I am so sorry IBM. That is just crazy. Will stuff like this ever stop? Geez. I am sorry your family must go through this all the time.

[IBMMuseum]

I am so sorry IBM. That is just crazy. Will stuff like this ever stop? Geez. I am sorry your family must go through this all the time.

This is just the second stop within four months, so not quite common yet, and I hope it stays that way. Even though we live within 75 miles of the border (as a comparision, about the same distance as Tucson is), the terrain, population, and roads tend to isolate us somewhat from events there. They've actually had the local Border Patrol office in the community closed for some time.

We do pass through the I-10W checkpoint coming back from El Paso. At least now it is the consistant question if everyone in the vehicle is a U.S. citizen. Before the officers asked all sorts of questions that shouldn't have made a difference (my comment about the dogs searching in the story explains that the nature of the checkpoint is more geared towards drugs as nineten says, and they should maybe change the staffing to another agency) such as, where are you driving to, where did you drive from, is the vehicle registered to you, etc.

[Cynthia]

Pretty soon they (BP/ICE) will be everywhere asking people for papers...like a license check! I think it would get worse if Hilary becomes president.

I hear that it'll be not only worse on many issues but on the military wise too, right?.. Yikes...totally scary...

Ok, so I'm not politically updated...but that's because I don't watch nor bothered about it...*sighs*...

[Glühbirne]

Sometimes I think they just want to see if they can catch people in a lie. When we were driving to Carlsbad the day after my husband got his residence, the guy at the checkpoint simply asked, "You're both US citizens, right?" We wouldn't fall for it, though. "I'm a citizen," I said. "I'm just a resident," answered my husband in his very thickly accented English, pulling his passport out of the glove box and letting the guy see it. The guy just grinned and waved us on.

He made it really easy for us to just nod. I think some of them think it's fun to play headgames. Sometimes the border guards would suddenly quiz me in all sorts of wierd questions as I was trying to cross. Even though they knew I was a US citizen, they were probably bored and looking for a way to screw with my mind. LOL Once one of those buggers asked me why I didn't have any children if I was married!! I couldn't believe it. It kind of hurt my feelings. I didn't know any more than he did why I hadn't gotten pregnant and he acted like it made me less married.

[IBMMuseum]

...Once one of those buggers asked me why I didn't have any children if I was married!! I couldn't believe it. It kind of hurt my feelings. I didn't know any more than he did why I hadn't gotten pregnant and he acted like it made me less married.

Most of the ICE "inspection officers" that I've had contact with at the border crossings in El Paso are more professional. I've been told my stepson "looks like" me (fine, give him what looks like U.S. citizenship, as if I'm his biological father). Any questions further why my wife and I aren't having more children (three energetic kids aren't enough to handle?)? Sorry, that's getting too personal.

For ICE, having "Are you a U.S. citizen?" answered with a "Yes." should end the *immigration-related* questions. They can proceed to the "customs" questions at that point, ask me whether I am bringing any meat or plant products back into the United States. Not really sure how "What was the nature of your visit to Mexico?" comes in to play, especially if the one being interviewed is a U.S. citizen (attach them to the State Department if they concerned about my conduct under another country's laws).

The Border Patrol of course patrols the "border" (defined for their purposes as within 100 miles of an international boundary in the United States), but don't seem to be as regulated for their questioning and behavior on the job. Within areas "adjacent" to the actual borders (much more narrow than the 100 miles listed above) and at official checkpoints they can even do warrantless searches of vehicles. Theoretically it is for any illegal (not meaning a person, but against criminal and civil law) activity, but by inference (there typically isn't checkpoints in the interior of the United States to check for violations of law, other than DUI roadblocks) meaning that it is to prevent threats to the U.S. from outside its borders.

[Glühbirne]

They day we crossed for the first time after hubby getting the residence, the border guard asked some questions and deduced we'd been living together in Juarez. He then said, "They shouldn't have given that residence to him. " After that he searched around my car and finally found a reason to do something mean because the smog was a month overdue so he directed me to a police officer who was waiting who gave me a ticket.

He was so visibly upset by the fact that my husband had gotten his residence. It was not a professional demeanor at all. I'd never seen a border guard take anything so personally before that and I'd been crossing for two years every day. He was white. Most of the border guards I dealt with were hispanic. I'd never dealt with this guy before, but for some reason something about me or my husband or both of us really irked him to no end.

[ojos_de_alicia]

i do remember that glu.. i remember u posting about how it should've been such a nice time for you and hubby but u were so mad that he was such a jerk.. well atleast u stuck in his mind.. i bet he still gets upset thinking how ur husband got his papers.. ! what a loser

[DaveH]

I went through the same one in New mexico on the way back and forth to San Antonio. We go through several check points between San Diego and San Antonio. We got sniffed by the dogs at one of them but in most cases they don't bother asking anything. Just do the usual waiving on through thing. I have noticed some patterns though. If your car is dirty your more likely to get questioned. If your smoking or your tired and it shows you'll get questioned. If you have blankets or pillows in the back seat that gets their attention. Keep the car clean, no smoking, and be bright eyed with pillows out of sight. That should minimize delays.

The questions you got are typical. Where you going, where you from? Why are you going? What are you doing with her? Same thing I get when they do stop me.

This last trip was fun, snow in texas! A blizzard most the way to el paso from San Antonio. I just got my car's body fixed and had to dodge sliding trucks on the 10 frwy most of the way. Took forever at 30 mph which was actually pushing it considering visibility was about 100 ft.

Shouldn't take anything they say personally. Sometimes they will do things just to see your reaction. If they seem offensive its only to see if you get offended. If you didn't then you would get hauled into secondary inspection.

[SHELLYFCO]

I have had some pretty hair raising experiences at the Tecate border crossing. They always, as if my car had some kind of tag on it, stopped me, checked my trunk and sent me to secondary inspection more times than I can count in a four year period. One time I answered that the purpose of my visit was to see my fiance, they asked me if he was in my trunk - OMG - doesn't he wish! I am so glad that nightmare is over. Seems they spend the most time on innocent USC's than tracking down the drug smugglers and true criminals.

[Task]

THis is messed up !! i hate the bp

[IBMMuseum]

A couple of days ago ICE did a raid in a city 50 miles away from us, what was a rare thing in the past. 22 Undocumented taken into custody, all but one (a Honduran) from Mexico, some longterm employees. The owner claims he checked all the records (most had false documents) he legally could do.

Then going to deposit my paycheck at lunchtime today I see three Border Patrol vehicles (the local office here is closed) at one of the two Chinese restaurants (one is a Crown Vic, the other two the pickups with the people-haulers). Hopefully they are there to eat, rather than to take the (Chinese) family that runs it away. Got to keep focused on the "Mexicans" :angry: (and they have to be on some call to be this far from their home office).

I immediately called my wife not to let anyone in the house without a warrant. The kids are all home sick anyway, and my wife knows to call me for any problems. Somebody could be chicken-$h!7 enough to make a anonymous call to ICE to cause some grief (even though everyone is legal here).

On a side note we will all be in El Paso for an Infopass tomorrow, probably later crossing to pay and turn in a few FMTs. The best thing they could do is AOS on the spot instead of arranging IR1 IV interviews at the Consulate that we are trying to have come up soon. Of course then we would probably have to do an immediate I-131 for the later daytrip.

We plan to visit my BIL, and if anyone else wants to meet up please let me know...