United States Border Patrol interior checkpoints

The checkpoints are described as "the third layer in the Border Patrol's three-layer strategy", following "line watch" and "roving patrol" operations near the border. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, The Court further held that Border Patrol agents "have wide discretion" to refer motorists selectively to a secondary inspection area for additional brief questioning. In contrast, the Supreme Court held that Border Patrol agents on roving patrol may stop a vehicle only if they have reasonable suspicion that the vehicle contains people who may be illegally in the United States—a higher threshold for stopping and questioning motorists than at checkpoints. The constitutional threshold for searching a vehicle is the same, however, and must be supported by either consent or probable cause, whether in the context of a roving patrol or a checkpoint search. Under US law, people who enter the US without inspection (EWI) can be subjected to expedited removal if they are found within 100 miles of the border. This power has been subject to heavy criticism by the American Civil Liberties Union. ==Documentation at checkpoints==

No documentation is required at Border Patrol checkpoints for US citizens; however, lawful permanent residents (LPRs) are required to carry their registration cards (green cards) "at all times" according to federal law. People in a non-immigrant status (for example, tourists) should carry proper documentation. In 2013, there was criticism of the Border Patrol for arresting people in a non-immigrant status at checkpoints (especially in New York), even though the aliens are lawfully present. == List of permanent checkpoints ==

2016–2020 sector sector sector sector California • – Seven miles south of San Clemente – • – 24 miles north of Escondido and near Temecula – • – One mile west of Sunshine Summit. • – Three miles east of Pine Valley – • – 24 miles east of San Diego – • – Seven miles north of Ocotillo and I-8 in eastern San Diego County on S2 (Imperial Highway/Sweeney Pass Road) between I-8 and State Route 78 • – On the west side of the Salton Sea and just south of the intersection of California State Routes 78 and 86 – • – On the east side of the Salton Sea between Niland and Bombay Beach – • – just north of Ogilby Road (S34), 50 miles south of Blythe, and 40 miles east of Brawley. Arizona • – heading north from Yuma to Quartzsite 53.4 mi N of Yuma • – 15 miles east of Yuma – • – • 4.7 miles south of Why – • 18.4 miles south of Gila Bend – • – North of Sells near Kohatk – • – heading north from Sasabe to Three Points – • – heading east, off the Tohono Oʼodham Indian Reservation, before Three Points – • Arivaca Road – heading northeast through Amado, near mile marker 22 – • – heading north from Nogales just north of Tubac – • – heading north from Whetstone to Benson – • – heading northwest from Tombstone to Benson (at junction with SR 82 west) – . New Mexico • – 22 miles west of Las Cruces between mile markers 120–121 – • – 22.6 miles south of Deming between mile markers 12–13 – • – 23 miles north of Las Cruces – • – 13 miles northwest of Radium Springs between mile markers 25–26 – • – 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo between mile markers 198–199 – • – 30 miles south of Alamogordo between mile markers 40–41 – Texas • –– 33 miles east of El Paso – • – Between El Paso and Van Horn, five miles west of Sierra Blanca – • – 4.5 miles south of Marfa – • – Ten miles south of Alpine – • – 4.5 miles south of Marathon – • – 30 miles east-southeast of Eagle Pass – • – 25 miles north of Del Rio on U.S. Route 377 – • – 60 miles east of Del Rio – • – 11 miles east of Eagle Pass on U.S. Route 57 – • – 35 miles north of Laredo – • – 29 miles north of Laredo – • – 16 miles west of Freer – • – Six miles east of Oilton – • – One mile south of Hebbronville – • – 50 yards south on FM 1017 at "T" intersection of State Highway 285. – • – 14 miles south of Falfurrias – (See Brooks County, Texas.) • – 14 miles south of Sarita – • – On Boca Chica Highway (SH 4) leading away from Boca Chica Beach – ==Tactical checkpoints==

In fiscal year 2008, thirty-nine tactical checkpoints were in operation. Tactical checkpoints lack permanent buildings, and "support permanent checkpoints by monitoring and inspecting traffic on secondary roads that the Border Patrol determined are likely to be used by individuals in the country illegally or smugglers to evade apprehension at permanent checkpoints". A tactical checkpoint might consist of vehicles, traffic cones, signs, a portable water supply, a cage for canines (if deployed), and portable rest facilities. Due to Congressional restrictions against the funding of permanent checkpoints in the Tucson sector, all of its checkpoints are tactical checkpoints. These were required to relocate every seven days, amended to every 14 days in 2005. Due to the need for road shoulder space and restrictions on placing checkpoints near curves, the number of sites is limited, and the relocation in practice means that checkpoints are periodically shut down. In 2005, the median tactical checkpoint nationally was active for 2 hours daily, as opposed to over 23 hours daily for permanent checkpoints; however, the Tucson sector's checkpoint on Interstate 19 was active 22 hours daily. A draft plan for the I-19 checkpoint in 2009 proposed to model it on the largest previous permanent checkpoint, the I-35 checkpoint north of Laredo, Texas, but would surpass it in size (18 acres) and inspection lanes (8 primary, 7 secondary). A number of community concerns were addressed, such as placement of canopies for dark sky restrictions for a local observatory, off-highway location, rumble strips, signage, and mitigation of traffic congestion. A community recommendation to "seek to mitigate noise" was to be "researched and considered". ==Effectiveness and criticisms==

Benefits For the year 2008, a GAO report entitled "Border Patrol" assigned mixed success to border checkpoints. Positive results include the apprehension of nearly 17,000 people in the country illegally at interior checkpoints. The report also said, "More than 705,000 total Border Patrol apprehensions [occurred] along the southwest border ... ." The Border Patrol also "encountered 530 aliens from special interest countries, which are countries the Department of State has determined to represent a potential terrorist threat to the United States." Additionally, there were over 3,500 drug seizures at southwest border checkpoints in 2008. Some residents of Arivaca, Arizona, have stated they are regularly subjected to harassment, delays, searches, and racial profiling at the internal checkpoint near their community. They questioned the effectiveness of the checkpoint, and began monitoring it in 2014 to determine its effectiveness. Constitutionality Internal checkpoints have also been criticized for violating the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures", although United States v. Martinez-Fuerte has affirmed their constitutionality. The U.S. Border Patrol has stated: "Although motorists are not legally required to answer the questions 'Are you a U.S. citizen, and where are you headed?' they will not be allowed to proceed until the inspecting agent is satisfied that the occupants of vehicles traveling through the checkpoint are legally present in the U.S." ==Movie==

• Missing in Brooks County is a feature-length documentary that examines the deaths in Brooks County, Texas, of migrants seeking to avoid the U.S. Border Patrol interior checkpoint in Falfurrias. The film has won numerous awards after its presentation at movie festivals. , it holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was released for streaming November 2, 2021, and shown in selected theaters. It was shown on PBS's Independent Lens series in January 2022. == See also ==