‘Are you a citizen?’ To U.S. Border Patrol, the Canadian border is 100 miles wide

[Seranthor]

There are many stupid laws in the US that there has developed a quite profitable literary industry devoted to uncovering the exceptionally stupid ones. It goes without saying that these are almost universally ignored, unless you want to start arrestic Nevadans for wearing moustaches, fine people for trying to sell their eyeballs, or marry their horses.

All those pale before the enormous stupidity of border patrol harassing people 95 miles inland. But please carry on with your amusing impersonation of John Wayne, it provides light relief from the ugly backward prejudices that I suspect are your true motivation.

So you have zero basis to make your asinine claim, and when challenged you resort to nation bashing and personal attacks. Got it.

[Gorgodeus]

If we were allowed to enforce our borders, we wouldn't have to ask everyone within the border if they're citizens... Where's "here" for you, some country no one wants to go to? Want to know the nice thing about driving around a '88 beat-up pick-up truck? Don't have to lock it, no one wants to steal it.

The vast majority of illegal immigrants did not "sneak over the border". It is one reason why a wall would be a waste of money. It is easy as hell to enter the country legally and overstay your visa, which is how the vast majority end up in the US.

[Xarkan]

Reminds me of the soviets bordering trains going to West Berlin to "inspect" them. How the mighty have fallen.

I think i would be less scared of an american border patrol asking if i had some id than i would be of East German guards checking a train while their mishandled German Shepard / Attack dogs prowled along the train

But thats just me

[Narwal]

It's about feeling comfortable in your own country. Why do you not care about your fellow countrypeople who are minorities? Why must be they be subjected to this?

Everyone is subjected to this because of weak enforcement of our countries immigration laws that have allowed a saturated number of people to stay within this country illegally. We now have to pay for that problem to remove those violating the law in which they came here, and hopefully Democrats will get on board with a plan to secure our border, and improve our enforcement of current immigration law such that people are not REWARDED for breaking the law, and other immigrants going through the process of citizenship legally can get a more streamlined process.

[DustWolf]

Do you have legions marching in the streets howling that the ID requirement is racist?

Haha, no. There was actually one incident when I was much younger and we were skateboarding in winter under some roofed place in the city center. Someone who was well known by the police was hanging out with us and, as they would, the police came along and started asking him questions and for his ID, which he didn't have with him, since he was living just down the street. Nothing bad happened, they just warned him that by law he has to have some kind of ID on himself at all times.

[Seranthor]

Haha, no. There was actually one incident when I was much younger and we were skateboarding in winter under some roofed place in the city center. Someone who was well known by the police was hanging out with us and, as they would, the police came along and started asking him questions and for his ID, which he didn't have with him, since he was living just down the street. Nothing bad happened, they just warned him that by law he has to have some kind of ID on himself at all times.

Amazing, expecting folks in the US to have ID is deemed racist by a great many. How that is ONLY racist in America is shocking to me.

[Deleted]

You need an ID for most public travel in the US. You’re not going to board a grey hound in Alberta without an ID either.

you can't get on a bus without showing ID ?

[ArguesWithStrangers]

I was asked if I was a citizen on multiple occasions while travelling in Europe, despite being in white majority countries, a couple of which I was completely indistinguishable from the natives, except perhaps in build. I've noticed Europe doesn't have as many gym rats or fat bodies, but I digress. You know what I did? Politely answered "no" and offered my passport. I didn't bitch about it, because I realized then as I do now, that nobody cares, and nor should they.

[Deleted]

Amazing, expecting folks in the US to have ID is deemed racist by a great many. How that is ONLY racist in America is shocking to me.

Its looked on pretty badly here in the uk, too.

Carrying identity papers is not why our grandparents died fighting fascists.

[Narwal]

The vast majority of illegal immigrants did not "sneak over the border". It is one reason why a wall would be a waste of money. It is easy as hell to enter the country legally and overstay your visa, which is how the vast majority end up in the US.

I didn't comment as such in that post, but I did later on that it's border security plus a weak enforcement of immigration law... The current statistics are that NEW illegals in the last year are 66% overstays, Thanks Trump! That still means 33% are other, such as border crossing. Overstays are not nearly as detrimental to us as a country for a few reasons. They came in legally, thus they underwent some kind of vetting and we know who they are. Those "other 33%" new illegal entries we have no information on, and they are definitely not vetted in any way. The visa overstays were originally let in based on a need in our country... no we don't want them overstaying, but they came in for a purpose that the government deemed needed. The chances that a gang-banger drug dealer came across the border illegally is astronomically higher than on a visa to work as a software engineer for SpaceX. I would say a solution that stops 33% of illegal entries, especially the ones we can't do background checks on, is still quite worth doing, wouldn't you?

[Deleted]

You can check the greyhound site. You’re not getting on any train either without an ID. But this wasn’t a city bus. It was a transport. The idea someone would travel a few hundred miles without their wallet is absurd. No one was inconvenienced here. Someone was asked if they’re a citizen.

I just don't understand why someone would be asked for ID in order to get on a city to city bus.

[Molis]

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2...iles-wide.html

Really sad. How about you focus on healthcare and education instead of bothering people who are traveling.
Must be really annoying if you're a law abiding citizen and you're getting harassed my power tripping Border patrol agents.

How about you focus on your own country instead of continuously posting these veiled America bashing threads.

What is so fucking hard about answering a yes or no question near the border?

Nobodies life was runied

[Laerrus]

Stop getting mad and offended by this shit.

If this ever happens to me, I am going to tell them no just for the hell of it.

Then when they ask where I am from, say Texas and pull out my TXDL marked as Veteran, just to really fuck with them.

[SethRoguen]

Or, maybe people could accept that these men and women are doing their job. If you dont like the laws that they are operating under then take it up with the people that make the laws. It's really that simple.

Fuck that. If you are doing something that I morally object to, I'm going to do everything in my power to make it as hard on you as possible. Within the bounds of the law of course. People have the right to refuse to answer questions, to not consent to a search, etc. Asking people to prove citizenship 100 miles from the border is one of those situations.


Now I wouldnt do that in all situations. I work outside on midnights, and there have been several situations where I would be sitting in my car eating lunch or smoking a cigarette and a cop would pull in and talk to me. In those situations I happily show ID and answer any questions they have because seeing a person loitering around an empty parking lot in the middle of the night is a reasonable reason to investigate further. Some random guy sitting on a public bus is not.

[Deleted]

So you have zero basis to make your asinine claim, and when challenged you resort to nation bashing and personal attacks. Got it.

You know, for someone who accuses others of being sensitive you are a very special snowflake, seeing nation-bashing where clearly none existed and taking exception at the very mildest form of criticism.

[Unholyground]

I wonder how many white people are being asked if they are citizens. *ponders*

Technically you are only white if your blood fully drains out.

[Seranthor]

You know, for someone who accuses others of being sensitive you are a very special snowflake, seeing nation-bashing where clearly none existed and taking exception at the very mildest form of criticism.

I wonder who's throw away account you really are... Care to share?

[Worvon]

Fuck that. If you are doing something that I morally object to, I'm going to do everything in my power to make it as hard on you as possible. Within the bounds of the law of course.

Last time I was back in the states visiting family we hit one of those "checkpoints" near Phoenix(outside of the 100mile zone). I kept speaking every language I know except English and gave him my UDI foreign resident card when he finally asked for ID. The two guys got annoyed as shit, made our day so much better and theirs obviously worse.

[Deleted]

I wonder how many white people are being asked if they are citizens. *ponders*

Plenty of white people are asked their citizenship in asien countries for instance.

[Ashnazg]

I encountered this in Jan of 2010, when I took a bus from Toronto to New York. I am as white as it gets, fyi. The officer just got on board somewhere around Syracuse area, and asked everyone that same question - "Are you a citizen of United States". I was in the front seat, so I just said yes (which is true), and then asked if he needs me to provide any sort of identification to prove it. His reply, verbatim, was: "No sir, we would never ask a citizen of United States to provide proof of their citizenship".

I was a little flummoxed by that, since it seems that with an attitude like that, the right answer is always: "Yes".

Nonetheless, there was an old Mexican woman a few rows back, who either said: "no", or was not able to comprehend the question, because he forced her off the bus and refused to let her call someone on the cellphone (presumably her relative who could explain something in English). This was 2010, so it was all before the current "anti-immigration" hunt.