Thread: WA-Surprised protesters see Border Patrol at Peninsula bus

Surprised protesters see first-hand operations of Border Patrol at Peninsula bus stop



Border Patrol agents step off of an Olympic Bus Lines bus to Seattle after checking the citizenship of its passengers in Discovery Bay on Saturday afternoon. Gathered around are protesters and a lone supporter of the Border Patrol. -- Photo by Erik Hidle/Peninsula Daily News

By Erik Hidle




DISCOVERY BAY -- Protesters of U.S. Border Patrol bus boardings in search of illegal immigrants got a surprise Saturday afternoon:

Border Patrol officers showed up at the bus stop where they were demonstrating and went to work checking nationalities of passengers aboard a stopped bus.

Agents have been boarding Olympic Bus Lines buses en route between the North Olympic Peninsula and Seattle for months to check the citizenships of people traveling inside.

And on Saturday that is exactly what they did.

Lois Danks of Port Angeles, organizer of the Stop The Checkpoints Committee, and about 15 others held a previously announced demonstration at the Discovery Bay bus stop near the eatery Fat Smitty's, holding signs to protest Border Patrol activities on the North Olympic Peninsula.

At highway junction

They gathered at the busy junction of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 20 to wait for the scheduled Olympic Bus Lines bus to Seattle at 2 p.m.

"We want [the Border Patrol] to know we're not getting used to it," Danks said of the decision to protest at the bus stop.

"We are not OK with them boarding buses. It's just not right for them to be doing this."

Then suddenly, three Border Patrol agents pulled up as two buses en route to Seattle stopped at Discovery Bay.

An agent boarded one bus and spoke to passengers for about one minute.

Then he boarded a second bus and did the same.

Not content just to be eyewitnesses, some of the protesters jeered.

"Shame on you," one woman yelled.

The agents smiled and kept doing their jobs.

One supporter

One lone Border Patrol supporter, Larry Eggebroten of Sequim, had his own sign and he yelled out: "Thank you for doing your job, Border Patrol."

The agents smiled and kept doing their jobs.

And just as quick as they came, they were gone.

No one interfered with the agents, no one was arrested -- and everyone seemed a little surprised.

"I've never actually seen them do that," Danks said.

"We weren't expecting them to show up, but seeing it makes me feel uneasy.

"It just doesn't seem right to be able to question people like that. It makes me uneasy about what's happening to our civil liberties."

Eggebroten, the pro-Border Patrol protester, said he was happy to see the federal officers doing their job on the North Olympic Peninsula.

"They deserve a pat on the back for it," he said.

Inside the bus

Aboard the bus, passengers expressed mixed emotions.

"All they asked was if we were U.S. citizens," said Brandon Brown of Sequim.

"I didn't feel like it was an intrusion or a waste of time.

"I think it's probably a good thing for them to do. It's a good thing, security-wise."

Jill Jackson was the lone Canadian on the bus.

"I told them I wasn't a citizen and they asked to see my passport," said Jackson, who lives in Victoria.

"I showed it to them and that was pretty much it.

"I was totally surprised by this -- I thought they were going to take someone away, not check all of us.

"It was kind of intimidating."

________

Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.


Last modified: July 18. 2009 11:37PM



http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/artic ... /307199992

Surprised protesters see first-hand operations of Border Patrol at Peninsula bus stop



Border Patrol agents step off of an Olympic Bus Lines bus to Seattle after checking the citizenship of its passengers in Discovery Bay on Saturday afternoon. Gathered around are protesters and a lone supporter of the Border Patrol. -- Photo by Erik Hidle/Peninsula Daily News

By Erik Hidle




DISCOVERY BAY -- Protesters of U.S. Border Patrol bus boardings in search of illegal immigrants got a surprise Saturday afternoon:

Border Patrol officers showed up at the bus stop where they were demonstrating and went to work checking nationalities of passengers aboard a stopped bus.

Agents have been boarding Olympic Bus Lines buses en route between the North Olympic Peninsula and Seattle for months to check the citizenships of people traveling inside.

And on Saturday that is exactly what they did.

Lois Danks of Port Angeles, organizer of the Stop The Checkpoints Committee, and about 15 others held a previously announced demonstration at the Discovery Bay bus stop near the eatery Fat Smitty's, holding signs to protest Border Patrol activities on the North Olympic Peninsula.

At highway junction

They gathered at the busy junction of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 20 to wait for the scheduled Olympic Bus Lines bus to Seattle at 2 p.m.

"We want [the Border Patrol] to know we're not getting used to it," Danks said of the decision to protest at the bus stop.

"We are not OK with them boarding buses. It's just not right for them to be doing this."

Then suddenly, three Border Patrol agents pulled up as two buses en route to Seattle stopped at Discovery Bay.

An agent boarded one bus and spoke to passengers for about one minute.

Then he boarded a second bus and did the same.

Not content just to be eyewitnesses, some of the protesters jeered.

"Shame on you," one woman yelled.

The agents smiled and kept doing their jobs.

One supporter

One lone Border Patrol supporter, Larry Eggebroten of Sequim, had his own sign and he yelled out: "Thank you for doing your job, Border Patrol."

The agents smiled and kept doing their jobs.

And just as quick as they came, they were gone.

No one interfered with the agents, no one was arrested -- and everyone seemed a little surprised.

"I've never actually seen them do that," Danks said.

"We weren't expecting them to show up, but seeing it makes me feel uneasy.

"It just doesn't seem right to be able to question people like that. It makes me uneasy about what's happening to our civil liberties."

Eggebroten, the pro-Border Patrol protester, said he was happy to see the federal officers doing their job on the North Olympic Peninsula.

"They deserve a pat on the back for it," he said.

Inside the bus

Aboard the bus, passengers expressed mixed emotions.

"All they asked was if we were U.S. citizens," said Brandon Brown of Sequim.

"I didn't feel like it was an intrusion or a waste of time.

"I think it's probably a good thing for them to do. It's a good thing, security-wise."

Jill Jackson was the lone Canadian on the bus.

"I told them I wasn't a citizen and they asked to see my passport," said Jackson, who lives in Victoria.

"I showed it to them and that was pretty much it.

"I was totally surprised by this -- I thought they were going to take someone away, not check all of us.

"It was kind of intimidating."

________

Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.


Last modified: July 18. 2009 11:37PM



http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/artic ... /307199992

All buses aren't checked starting the borders

All buses aren't checked starting the borders