[quote=FlyerInHi]It’s well known that minority men driving older cars cross country will get stopped by local police looking for drugs and to confiscate cash, especially with CA plates[/quote]This is just one (of many) reasons why this country needs a “tall, beautiful wall” on it’s southern int’l border. I myself have traveled the I-8/I-10 east-west routes many times and have been stopped each and every time (1-3 stops per direction) since 9/11/01 by border patrol and customs agents looking for drugs. I ALWAYS travel with documents and have never been pulled into “secondary” but have had my trunk searched, my trailer searched and each and every time have had my tires/wheels sniffed out by dogs and have even been asked for ID/docs a few times. I have also (repeatedly) been asked, “What’s your nationality?” and “Where are you headed?” (eastbound lanes, only). And I’m an American, born in the US! I feel that by being required to submit to this treatment (and delays), my right to freely travel in my own country is being hampered and that these measures the Federal Govm’t is taking on roads NOT entering/leaving MX may actually be unconstitutional.
I don’t think “CA plates” or “older vehicles” have anything to do with it (MX plates, yes). I think a bit of “profiling” IS used by these border patrol agents (i.e., the “driving while brown” syndrome). But, in my experience, the private vehicles they are most interested in are windowless vans, cars with large trunks (esp trunks which give the appearance of being “weighted down”), pickups with locking tonneau covers, towed covered boats and towed closed trailers. I’ve even seen a group of Japanese tourists in a large rented luxury sedan (from LAX?) get pulled into secondary on I-8 in AZ!
I don’t understand why the border patrol’s “makeshift moving highway stops” are not set up on the dusty roads leading to/from MX instead of the (eastbound/westbound) interstates. It makes no sense to me.
