Border Patrol criticized for inspection methods

By Emily Bazar, USA TODAY

Three times in the past year, Border Patrol agents have approached Silvio Torres-Saillant in the Greyhound station in Syracuse, N.Y., as he purchased tickets or waited in the terminal.

Each time, they asked about his immigration status and citizenship, says the Syracuse University English professor, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic.

INSPECTIONS: Border Patrol expands transportation checks

"It's very likely they come to me because of how I look," he says. "The idea that there are some people who look more American than others is still very much alive."

Torres-Saillant is among an increasing number of people, legal and illegal, crossing paths with the Border Patrol well inside the border. The agency, with a beefed-up force, is increasing surprise inspections on buses, trains and ferries on routes that don't cross the border.

"If you have someone attempting to illegally enter the United States, it's very unlikely that they're going to stay 15 yards from the international border," says Jason Ciliberti, a supervisory agent in Washington, D.C. "We want to take a layered approach."

In places like Upstate New York, the number of agents and the stations inspected has grown after 9/11.

"What we do is target transportation nodes, places where people change trains or buses," says A.J. Price, spokesman for the Buffalo sector, which includes Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Erie, Pa. "Not only are we encountering criminals, nefarious individuals, people that have broken immigration laws, we're also sending a message that we're out there patrolling and looking."

Those inspections have come under fire from people such as Torres-Saillant, who believe agents sometimes question people based on their skin color or accent.

When he took the bus to and from Buffalo with his wife in December, Border Patrol agents boarded at a rest stop in Rochester. Each time, he says, they briefly questioned everyone, then removed a passenger they believed was in the country illegally.

Torres-Saillant often takes the bus to New York City. In the three times he has been questioned at the station before that trip, he says, he was singled out. "We have lost some civil liberties," he says.

Jessica Maxwell, 32, was on a bus from Syracuse to Utica over the July 4 holiday. She says three Border Patrol agents boarded after the passengers. They approached and questioned only an Asian man until she asked why, she says. One of the agents then inquired about her legal status, she says. "It seemed like a very loose, arbitrary procedure," the Syracuse resident says. "They're stereotyping."

The Border Patrol says it does not profile. "Not only is it wrong, it's simply not effective," Ciliberti says. "Agents are trained to look at people's mannerisms, their actions, where they're going."

In Upstate New York, "we talk to everyone in the stations, at the terminals, on the buses, on the trains, which eliminates the misconception of racial profiling," Price says.

Rosemary Jenks of NumbersUSA, a group that advocates reduced immigration, says it isn't racial profiling to ask for proof that someone is in the country legally. The Border Patrol says legal immigrants other than naturalized citizens must carry proof of their legal status.

"We all know illegal aliens enter the country, whether across the southern or northern border," she says. "Their goal is to get to the closest major line of transportation, whether a train, a bus or a road, for a car to come and pick them up."

Families for Freedom, a New York City group that advocates for immigrants facing deportation, protested at Greyhound and Amtrak stations in April and asked the companies to warn customers that they may face immigration inspections. "One of the things that makes this really shocking is that nobody's crossing any borders," says group co-founder Maria Muentes. "For every other type of travel, you have some sort of warning there will be checkpoints."

"Greyhound is under no obligation to inform customers of law-enforcement activities at any time," says spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh.

On international routes, both companies remind customers they will need their passports or other documentation at the border. "There are no notifications to passengers who are not crossing the border," says Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole.

At the University of Rochester, several international students on visas have been detained or questioned by the Border Patrol, mostly in and around the bus and train stations, says Cary Jensen, director of the international services office.

For years, officials have told international students to carry copies of their immigration documents. Now, they're warning students to be prepared even for a quick trip downtown, he says.

"The students are here legitimately. They're amazing, the best and brightest in the world," Jensen says. "We're just trying to prepare for every eventuality."
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