PoliceStateSurvivor

This one is my "favorite". I had to go through it on the way to work in 2004-2006 (see my previous post).

sbrower

Perhaps you missed the very large one on the border at San Ysidro at Otay Mesa, and the big fence, all of which are supposed to prevent entry to San Diego?

The checkpoint in Pendleton (which is somewhat a "choke" point, because the military base is hard to walk across) is supposed to be backup. They also do raids on the train going through Pendleton.

By the way, in the last 2 years, I have gone thourgh that one about 20 times, and I don't think it has been open once.

tusphotog

Yes. The 19 freeway is the only one in the country signed only in metric. ADOT says they're going to re-sign it in miles...when they get the money.

There are a couple checkpoints around southern Arizona--the aforementioned one on the 19, about 20 miles north of Nogales, plus a couple on the state highways around Bisbee, Douglas, Naco, Sierra Vista etc. Watch out for the drug dogs, CBP likes to let them run around in the traffic lanes. The officers there are pretty cool though. At these checkpoints they're not necessarily checking for your immigration status, but to see if you're running drugs/people.

Doppy

I recall a thread on FT a while back where another member was saying she worked with some project to get younger American citizens of Mexican descent ID cards in Southern California because it was not unusual for them to get deported to Mexico if they didn't have ID on them, despite being citizens. I can't find the thread right now.

König

There might be. The border patrol stopped internal immigration checks along the northern border with Canada, but they still might do it in southern states.

ESpen36

Trust me, they still do the checks in the southern states, at least CA. A couple of months ago, I was driving from San Diego back to LAX, and the Border Patrol had the I-5 completely blocked around Camp Pendleton. They were making everyone drive past officers very slowly so they could peer into the vehicles. The overhead marquis sign said "Border Patrol Checkpoint Be Prepared to Stop."

cbn42

Per the Supreme Court, no one is required to carry ID in the US on a general basis. Police cannot randomly come up to you and ask to see even your ID, let alone your passport. I have never heard of security checks on Amtrak trains in California, but even if there are, your friend is not required to show them any papers or answer any questions. There is a small chance that they might do a check for drugs or guns, but not for immigration. Even at the San Clemente checkpoint, which is close to the Mexican border, US Customs and Border Protection cannot check IDs of anyone except the person driving.

sbrower

I didn't respond because I have no information about Sacramento. However, I know that I occasionally see the Border Patrol trucks at San Juan Capistrano (Orange County) removing passengers from the train in shackles.

catocony

LA is well north of the CBP check range, so he/she should be fine.

I've driven through these points on I-5, I-15, I-8, I-35, I-19, the road north from El Paso to Alamogordo, the checkpoint coming up from Bisbee to I-10, as well as the road back from Sierra Vista to I-10. Maybe once or twice I've actually been stopped and asked my citizenship, but I've never been asked for ID.

I think they're more for show than anything else. If you are illegal and are afraid of getting picked up at one of these checkpoints, you can always fly out of San Diego, El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville, etc. I guess they figure that illegals probably don't have money for airline tickets.

KCK

LA may be well north of the border with Mexico, but it is well within the CBP check range of the border defined by the Pacific Ocean.

Silver Fox

I had exactly the same experience coming from Nogales and just got waved through once they had asked where I was from and going to. Didn't need to show any id or my UK passport. And then I overtook the Sheriff or one of his Deputy's at 110 a little further up the road. I had to show him id.

ESpen36

But if you are driving a vehicle, you must be carrying proof of a license to drive, and LEOs can ask to see that proof. As a practical matter, I belive ALL states issue driver licenses that double as government-issued ID. So, technically, LEOs can ask you for identification at any time, assuming you are driving, because they can ask to see your DL, and your DL is an ID.


(It is interesting to note, however, that the USA is not the norm. Many other countries have a national/federal ID, and consequently, the driver license issued by municipalities/provinces does NOT include identification, since you must carry your national ID at all times. In these situations, you must show your national ID at any time requested, even for routine retail transactions. Sometimes even when paying with cash!)

jbdk

Unless something has changed, CBP limitation on highways is 100 miles from an International border.

catocony

They definitely aren't checking away from land borders.

Considering how many hundreds of thousands or even million illegals living in LA County, if they wanted to catch one, they don't need to go up on the high desert and set up a roadblock to do so.

Once again, the "advice" from some of the folks on here borders on the paranoid. As far as checking for driver's licenses, CBP does not enforce local traffic ordinances, so they're not going to write you a ticket for driving without a license.

Practical advice is what is needed. Not dire warnings based on armchair legal analysis of hazy laws. Have you ever heard of a CBP roadblock in North Carolina or Virginia? They're on the coast....

TWA884

They can't stop you for the sole purpose of asking to see a driver's license. There must be an independent probably cause for the stop, such as a traffic violation.

The only exception is a DUI checkpoint which requires posting advanced notice to the public, although not its specific location.