Quote:Border Patrol officials have decided to keep roadside checkpoints open in Texas during Hurricane Harvey — sparking outrage from the ACLU, which says illegal immigrants have the right to flee just like everybody else.

“By keeping checkpoints open, the Border Patrol is putting undocumented people and mixed-status families at risk out of fear of deportations,” Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy at the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement Friday.

“As people seek refuge from hurricane Harvey, they are likely to have to go north or west of Texas and would have to go through a checkpoint,” she explained. “This is a disgusting move from the Border Patrol that breaks with past practices. The Border Patrol should never keep checkpoints open during any natural disasters in the United States. Everyone, no matter the color of their skin or background, is worth saving.”

Border Patrol officials first announced the move on Thursday afternoon in a statement to the Texas Tribune.

“Border Patrol checkpoints will not be closed unless there is a danger to the safety of the traveling public and our agents,” the agency said. “Border Patrol resources, including personnel and transportation, will be deployed on an as needed basis to augment the efforts and capabilities of local-response authorities. The Border Patrol is a law enforcement agency and we will not abandon our law enforcement duties.”

The agency later walked back its decision, saying they would close certain checkpoints that lie in the path of the storm as state highways close.

“These closures will occur in a manner that ensures the safety of the traveling public and our agents,” a spokesperson told The Post. “Border Patrol checkpoints that are outside of the path of the hurricane will remain operational. CBP will remain vigilant against any effort by criminals to exploit disruptions caused by the storm.”

The ACLU believes the decision to keep checkpoints open will deter illegal immigrants from fleeing, but federal officials insist this won’t be the case.

“We’re not going to impede anybody getting out of here, but at the same time we’re a law enforcement agency, so we still have to conduct our duties,” CBP public affairs officer Roberto Rodriguez told the Tribune.

In a joint statement posted online Friday, officials from both the Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies said they would be promoting “life-saving and life-sustaining activities, the safe evacuation of people who are leaving the impacted area” and “the maintenance of public order,” among other things.

“Routine non-criminal immigration enforcement operations will not be conducted at evacuation sites, or assistance centers such as shelters or food banks,” the statement said. “The laws will not be suspended, and we will be vigilant against any effort by criminals to exploit disruptions caused by the storm.”

ICE and CBP officials will ultimately “seek to provide for the safety and security of those in our custody and to protect them from bodily harm.”

“As such, ICE detainees from the Port Isabel Detention Center are being temporarily transferred to various other detention facilities outside the projected path and destruction of the hurricane,” the statement concluded. “In the event of transfers, the detainee’s attorney of record is notified, the Online Detainer Locator is updated, and the transfer is temporary in nature.”

Still, ACLU officials say they hope the federal government will ultimately change their mind about keeping the checkpoints open, should the hurricane intensify.

“At a time of emergency, CBP must prioritize safety for everyone who lives in Texas,” said ACLU of Texas policy strategist Astrid Dominguez.

“It is unconscionable that the Border Patrol is sending a dangerous, wrong message to our community by refusing to temporarily suspend immigration enforcement during an evacuation, as they did in 2016 and 2012,” he added. We call on CBP to put public safety first and ensure that, no matter their status, families who wish to leave the area can do so unimpeded.”

http://nypost.com/2017/08/25/aclu-wants-...ne-harvey/

I don't think this is a civil liberties issue but I do agree that keeping up checkpoints while a hurricane is incoming is wrong.

I find it insane that there are people that want to actively interfere with our immigration services simply doing their job.

If there is a way to locate illegals it should be pursued. The goal is to catch them.

(08-25-2017 09:46 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I find it insane that there are people that want to actively interfere with our immigration services simply doing their job.

If there is a way to locate illegals it should be pursued. The goal is to catch them.

...and if they get caught their safety is in the hands of the BP at that point anyway. I would expect they would be moved to a safe location away from the storm.

The Hurricane is in Texas.....Mexico is Safe from it....a perfect safe place to send Them too.

(08-26-2017 08:09 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  The Hurricane is in Texas.....Mexico is Safe from it....a perfect safe place to send Them too.

This

Yeah, CBP really needs to shut down.

(08-25-2017 09:46 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I find it insane that there are people that want to actively interfere with our immigration services simply doing their job.

If there is a way to locate illegals it should be pursued. The goal is to catch them.

If you are evacuating from raging flood waters, you'll gladly sit in traffic for an additional couple hours so the Border Patrol can check and make sure you are a citizen?

Okay.

Maybe this argument holds water if the border patrol agents were for the emergency rescue efforts in the damaged areas. Otherwise, keep hard at work doing their jobs.

(08-28-2017 08:40 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(08-25-2017 09:46 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I find it insane that there are people that want to actively interfere with our immigration services simply doing their job.

If there is a way to locate illegals it should be pursued. The goal is to catch them.

If you are evacuating from raging flood waters, you'll gladly sit in traffic for an additional couple hours so the Border Patrol can check and make sure you are a citizen?

Okay.

Have you ever been through a Border checkpoint?

Do you know where they put them?

It is a minor concern.