Outspoken Illegal Alien Activist Detained for Being an Illegal Alian

[nageov3t]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/us/Jose-Antonio-Vargas-immigrant-advocate-arrested.html

Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented Filipino immigrant who is arguably the most high-profile leader of the immigrants’ rights movement, was detained Tuesday morning at a Border Patrol checkpoint in the airport here before he could board a flight to Houston.

He was handcuffed and taken for processing to the McAllen Border Patrol station, which has been teeming in recent weeks with undocumented immigrants from Central America, part of a wave of migrants who have been streaming over the border.

Mr. Vargas, a Pulitzer-winning journalist, came last week to McAllen, a city just a few miles north of the border with Mexico, for a news conference and vigil organized by United We Dream, an undocumented youth organization, outside a shelter downtown for recently released Central American migrants. Mr. Vargas wrote recently that he did not realize until he was here that he would have to cross through a Customs and Border Protection checkpoint to leave the Rio Grande Valley. Mr. Vargas travels on a valid Philippine passport, but it has no current United States visa in it.

this whole thing is a little stupefying... I can't believe the guy is surprised that this finally happened.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
this whole thing is a little stupefying... I can't believe the guy is surprised that this finally happened.

Yes. Given that he's illegal and wouldn't have a passport etc I must assume this is the first time he tried to travel by airplane. How could one possibly expect to board without the necessary documents?

Must be a publicity stunt. He must of known full well he would be stopped.

Fern

 

[Oldgamer]

I think or maybe I am mistaken he did this on purpose. I seem to recall one of the articles said Texas was different on the border requirements or something.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Who?

and....

 

[Zaap]

Mr. Vargas wrote recently that he did not realize until he was here that he would have to cross through a Customs and Border Protection checkpoint to leave the Rio Grande Valley.

Heh. Probably (just like a LOT of Americans) he didn't believe we actually had such things as customs and "border protection checkpoints", let alone actually enforced them.

 

[squarecut1]

Why does a person need to go through a Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint to leave McAllen. Last time I checked, that town was still part of the country.

I have heard that there are checkpoints on I-10 out in Texas near the Mexico border, where people get checked for their status while traveling within the United States. Surely that is not right? How come no conservative outrage on this government intrusion? Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

 

[smackababy]

Heh. Probably (just like a LOT of Americans) he didn't believe we actually had such things as customs and "border protection checkpoints", let alone actually enforced them.

This is likely the case. I lived damn near 22 years in Texas and never once saw a Border Patrol Agent or stop or checkpoint outside of an airport. Hell, it wasn't until I was driving to California that I saw my first border patrol checkpoint (in the middle of New Mexico).

 

[Zaap]

Why does a person need to go through a Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint to leave McAllen. Last time I checked, that town was still part of the country.

I have heard that there are checkpoints on I-10 out in Texas near the Mexico border, where people get checked for their status while traveling within the United States. Surely that is not right? How come no conservative outrage on this government intrusion? Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

Gee I dunno, why would I flying out of LA have to go through customs in St Louis to fly to London? Or Atlanta to fly to St. Martin? I dunno... but I have.

 

[Drako]

"The only IDs I have for security: Philippine passport and my pocketbook US Constitution"

 

[squarecut1]

Gee I dunno, why would I flying out of LA have to go through customs in St Louis to fly to London? Or Atlanta to fly to St. Martin? I dunno... but I have.

He was boarding a flight from McAllen to Houston. A domestic flight.

I am absolutely against illegal immigration, and in full support of enforcement, but I am trying to figure out are there any legal grounds for an immigration check for travel within the country. Like going on I-10. I know people who have been stopped and checked there, and obviously they were none too happy about it

 

[Drako]

He was boarding a flight from McAllen to Houston. A domestic flight.

I am absolutely against illegal immigration, and in full support of enforcement, but I am trying to figure out are there any legal grounds for an immigration check for travel within the country. Like going on I-10. I know people who have been stopped and checked there, and obviously they were none too happy about it

You need a valid ID to fly domestic flights as well.

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/acceptable-ids

 

[squarecut1]

You need a valid ID to fly domestic flights as well.

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/acceptable-ids

A foreign passport is a valid ID. That link does not state that the passport needs to have a valid visa. Obviously TSA is not in the business of checking immigration, so it would not be right for them to do something like that.

 

[Zaap]

His apprehension poses a dilemma for the Obama administration, which will now have to decide how to handle his case at a time when the border situation has made all decisions about immigration high profile and politically fraught.

What?

Why does the Obama admin have to decide anything? What "dilemma"?

The "dilemma" of our national sovereignty now being determined for us solely by who ever sneaks in and demands to determine it?

What they fuck does any country do with a foreigner at their airport without proper documents, regardless if there to meddle in the nation's immigration system or not? Send his ass home on the next available flight.

This type of story just illustrates his insane and stupid we're becoming over our own national sovereignty.

So once more... if a nation just forfiets all common sense and allows anyone who wanders in and screams loud enough to write the rules, and everyone from the top down rolls over for it....you DON'T deserve to fall into the depths of third world status because...? Why exactly?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

A foreign passport is a valid ID. That link does not state that the passport needs to have a valid visa. Obviously TSA is not in the business of checking immigration, so it would not be right for them to do something like that.

A foreigner needs to have a valid passport with a Visa allowing them to stay/travel in the US or Permanent Resident card (Green card). My wife was instructed that she needed to carry her passport until her Permanent Resident card arrived when she passed through immigration coming into the country.

 

[smackababy]

A foreign passport is a valid ID. That link does not state that the passport needs to have a valid visa. Obviously TSA is not in the business of checking immigration, so it would not be right for them to do something like that.

It is common knowledge among illegal aliens they shouldn't fly without a valid visa. Ask any Asian who came here on a visitor's visa and never left. The fact that this guy got away for so long is simply due to lack of manpower to enforce the laws. Perhaps, he shouldn't have been so public about his illegal activities in the US, and he might have been just fine.

 

[squarecut1]

A foreigner needs to have a valid passport with a Visa allowing them to stay/travel in the US or Permanent Resident card (Green card). My wife was instructed that she needed to carry her passport until her Permanent Resident card arrived when she passed through immigration coming into the country.

Yes, I understand that part, since she was coming INTO the country.

But for travel within the country, I really would like to know if there are any legal grounds to check the immigration status. Every day, people get stopped on an interstate in Texas for this purpose. Seems like a classic example of government over reach to me.

 

[Zaap]

He was boarding a flight from McAllen to Houston. A domestic flight.

I equate this to me flying to Luzon without proper visa, doing whatever there, then stepping into an airport to fly to Manilla and getting popped by customs for not having a valid visa.

"Hey, its a domestic flight, why am I being stopped?"

Their customs answer to me would be along the lines of: "Domestic flight? WTF are you doing in our country?"

"I didn't know I needed proper documents. Isn't this a great dilemma for your president??!??"

"GET THE FUCK OUT!"

 

[smackababy]

Yes, I understand that part, since she was coming INTO the country.

But for travel within the country, I really would like to know if there are any legal grounds to check the immigration status. Every day, people get stopped on an interstate in Texas for this purpose. Seems like a classic example of government over reach to me.

United States v. Martinez-Fuerte

Already been fought, and it was ruled they are constitutional to have checkpoints, however, search still requires consent or probable cause.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Yes, I understand that part, since she was coming INTO the country.

But for travel within the country, I really would like to know if there are any legal grounds to check the immigration status. Every day, people get stopped on an interstate in Texas for this purpose. Seems like a classic example of government over reach to me.

She was told she needed to have her passport in her possession and ready to produce it when required (ie domestic travel) until her Permanent Resident card arrived.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
But for travel within the country, I really would like to know if there are any legal grounds to check the immigration status. Every day, people get stopped on an interstate in Texas for this purpose. Seems like a classic example of government over reach to me.

You seem to be saying that once crossing the border the illegal is 'home free'. You need to be legal to be here. "Here" as in anywhere in the county. I.e., if they are anywhere in the country and are discovered I don't why they cannot be detained etc. (subject to the 4th).

Fern

 

[squarecut1]

You seem to be saying that once crossing the border the illegal is 'home free'. You need to be legal to be here. "Here" as in anywhere in the county. I.e., if they are anywhere in the country and are discovered I don't why they cannot be detained etc. (subject to the 4th).

Fern

I seem to be saying that we are supposed to be a nation of laws. Nothing to do with being legal or illegal.

Smackababy, thank you for that answer. I will look up that case more.

 

[boomerang]

I seem to be saying that we are supposed to be a nation of laws.

That may have been the case in the past but no longer. Laws are ignored and enforced subjectively. Lots of people now in power have pens and phones. As it does in a business, the culture of our nation is determined by the actions of those at the top.

 

[Fern]

I seem to be saying that we are supposed to be a nation of laws. Nothing to do with being legal or illegal.
-snip-

The law in question here being that of immigration.

The airport he was attempting to use is about 10 miles from the Mexican border. Seems entirely reasonable to me to have a border checkpoint in it. Otherwise people crossing that border can hop a flight to other US cities where there is unlikely to be any immigration checkpoints. Again, to do otherwise is allow one to be 'home free' upon actually crossing. We can't arrest them on their side of the border.

Fern

 

[Jaskalas]

this whole thing is a little stupefying... I can't believe the guy is surprised that this finally happened.

When standard policy is to not enforce the law, it is a surprise when they do enforce it.

It's like playing the lottery for years, then finally winning. In this case it's a PR lottery to make it look like they're making a difference. Worst case scenario for him, he gets to cross again.

 

[glenn1]

Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented Filipino immigrant who is arguably the most high-profile leader of the immigrants’ rights movement, was detained Tuesday morning at a Border Patrol checkpoint in the airport here before he could board a flight to Houston.

Immigrants rights and being deported if you're here illegally aren't mutually exclusive. It just means you get the same due process and other rights as citizens before your ass is put on a plane back to your country of origin, perhaps with an intervening jail stay.