Story to tell — this crap doesn’t only happen in AZ:
I was driving from AZ to CA, and I took the scenic route to San Diego about 2 years ago. I’m pretty much straight-up white, but I was pulled over by Border Pigs twice.
Once on I-8 about 15 min after the CA border. The second time on Rt. 94 at the Dulzurra(?) checkpoint. The swine at the second stop didn’t stop at asking my citizenship, checking ID/passport, and asking if I was carrying anyone else in the car.
They asked me: how long was I planning to be in CA? Where was I staying in CA? What was my business in CA?
None of which I was prepared to answer, since as an American citizen, I have the RIGHT to travel in my own damn country without being harassed and interrogated. So I answered that I was an American citizen traveling in my own country, and that anything else was none of their business. They tired of the game after about 5-10 minutes, checked the trunk and waved me to go. All was recorded by me, of course.
Frankly, thinking back on this treatment *still* enrages me. Granted, I was driving a dusty rental with Zonie plates, but this still disgusted me. Interestingly, I’ve never been harassed in this way since, mostly in vehicles with CA plates. Could this have been a bit of quid-pro-quo – maybe the checkpoint officer’s cousin was harassed by some AZ cops?
