Kirsten Gillibrand introduces a bill to crack down on immigration agents

[NCTraveler]

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) introduced a bill Thursday to place more scrutiny on Border Patrol agents when they stop and question passengers on buses and trains.

The Department of Homeland Security Accountability and Transparency Act would require border patrol and immigration enforcement agents to document every instance when they stop, search, or interrogate people. The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The law applies to all stops by agents who work for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Under current law, agents from both departments have broad authority to stop and question people about their immigration status. In the 100-mile border zone — the area of the US that’s within 100 miles of a land or water border — agents can pull over cars and board vehicles to ask passengers about their citizenship if they suspect a person is not in the country legally. (In the rest of the country, ICE agents can’t enter private property without a warrant or pull over vehicles without probable cause of an immigration violation.) But the law doesn’t require agents keep track of whom they stop or why, unless the agents detain someone or end up using force.

The practice of stopping people and asking them their citizenship status happens all over the border zone — in immigrant neighborhoods, on Greyhound buses or Amtrak trains, outside grocery stores.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/11/17340502/kirsten-gillibrand-immigration-border-stop-bill

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. GOOD

[NCTraveler]

2. I love the wording of the headline. nt

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. TBH I wonder how much if this fascist shit was going on before Rump and we didnt know

Not that Obama would at all be OK with it or even know about it.

[Exotica]

8. I second this..... GOOD

[Trumpocalypse]

4. But, but Gillibrand is an evil, Machiavellian. traitor who..

single highhandedly got all those women to lie about Al Franken. Then drugged Franken to trick him into apologizing to the liars. Blackmailed 38 other Senators into calling for Franken to resign.

And finally went to Franken's office with Luca Brasi and a resignation letter. Had Luca hold a gun to Franken's head and told Al that either his signature or his brains would be on the resignation.

[NCTraveler]

7. That's how the story goes.

All one person.

Many Democrats took to Twitter to call for him to resign but it took Gillibrand to make it happen.

[Exotica]

9. more background, the ONLY Dem who said NOT to resign was Manchin

All the rest either told him publicly or privately to resign, except for the 3 on the Senate ethics committee (who could make no statement) or Mendez from NJ, who was, at the time, involved in federal ethics charges (since dropped).

[NCTraveler]

12. Manchin asked Franken to back down from his resignation.

He was a steady voice for Franken before and after he offered his resignation.

Manchin also often railed against the Benghazi hearings.

[Exotica]

14. Yep. Massive respect to him for that.

[stonecutter357]

5. lol

[NCTraveler]

6. Why would anyone want to hold law enforcement accountable.

I’m with you, thumbs down. I much prefer a fascist state.

[LanternWaste]

11. I can certainly empathize with your desire to prevent higher accountability.

I can certainly empathize with, if not actually fathom a valid hypothesis why, you desire to prevent higher accountability.

But then again, often we simply wish to advertise our petulance.

Well done.

[NCTraveler]

13. Is it her leadership?

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100210536769#post43

[lapfog_1]

10. "The practice of stopping people and asking them their citizenship status"

it's much worse than that. On most roads from the border areas in Arizona, ICE has set up traffic blocks where they stop every car and ask your citizenship... and you better not have brown skin or an accent.

Lived with it for years in Sierra Vista ( a medium size city in southern AZ ) where they have a traffic diversion stop set up on Highway 90 north of town.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Border_Patrol_interior_checkpoints#Arizona

[NCTraveler]

15. It is my understanding that those stops will be covered as well.

They seem to be highlighting the train and bus aspect as something everyone can easily understand. I am not currently in possession of the text of the bill. I will try to follow up as your point is solid.

"S.2832, which would require accountability and transparency within Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by establishing a formal record-keeping process of all stops and searches."