YUMA, Ariz. – On June 7, a Facebook post referenced an alleged transportation check by Border Patrol near the Nevada/California State line. On Saturday, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote an article concerning this post. The location of the alleged incident is near Yuma Sector however, no Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents were involved in it. The link below will take you to an ACLU story that CBP strongly rebuts:
CBP Official Statement:
Social media postings about an alleged U.S. Border Patrol transportation check near the state line between California and Nevada are false. Both El Centro Sector and Yuma Sector confirmed that no Border Patrol operation was conducted in the immediate area of the State of California Agriculture Inspection Station near the city of Yermo.
Fabricated postings propel false and unsubstantiated information about the critical mission of the U.S. Border Patrol. This involves the detection, prevention and apprehension of terrorists, undocumented aliens and smugglers of aliens at or near the land border by maintaining surveillance from a covert position, following up leads, responding to electronic sensor television systems, aircraft sightings, and interpreting and following tracks, marks and other physical evidence. Some of the major activities are traffic checks, traffic observation, city patrol, transportation checks, administrative, intelligence, and anti-smuggling activities.
“Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents take their sworn duties to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States very seriously,” said Yuma Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Carl Landrum. “Stories like this that attempt to pit us against our community need to be fact checked before they are printed as truth. The Yuma Sector Border Patrol will continue to perform our mission, day in and day out, ensuring the safety of our agents, citizens and communities.” Chief Landrum went on to say, “Protecting our sovereignty is key in our border security mission. Border Security is National Security.”
About Border Patrol Transportation Checks
For decades, U.S. Border Patrol agents have routinely engaged in enforcement operations at transportation hubs throughout the nation. Enforcement actions away from the border are within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Border Patrol and performed in direct support of immediate border enforcement efforts and as a means of preventing smuggling and criminal organizations from exploiting existing transportation hubs to travel to the interior of the United States. These operations at transportation hubs serve as a vital component of the U.S. Border Patrol’s national security efforts.
Transportation hubs are used by alien smuggling and drug trafficking organizations to move people, narcotics, and contraband to interior destinations throughout the country. To combat these growing threats, the U.S. Border Patrol has increased the frequency of transportation checks around the country as an additional enforcement mechanism to reinforce CBP’s world-class approach to border security. Approval for transportation checks was centralized at Border Patrol Headquarters in 2012. In 2017, the Border Patrol returned approval authority to the Chief Patrol Agents for each Border Patrol Sector.
Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities, including the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence. The Immigration and Nationality Act 287(a)(3) and 8 USC 1357 state that Immigration Officers, without a warrant, may "within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States ... board and search for aliens in any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railcar, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle.” 8 CFR 287 (a)(1) defines reasonable distance as 100 air miles from the border.