Originally Posted by
Maxwell Smart
Wonder why they decided the zone applies to the region looping around the south of Lake Michigan (Chicago, etc.), since all of Lake Michigan is within the US and is NOT a coastal border (unlike the other Great Lakes)?
By the same logic, there should be a 100-mile zone around the Great Salt Lake too, right?
My guess has always been that the 100-miles starts at border or a land/water point of entry and that there are many such ports along the shore of Lake Michigan. If the 100-miles were based on territorial waters and not the actual border, the zones around the coast would extend less than 100 miles inland.
I also suspect, but do not know for certain, that the zone should extend up the Mississippi river since I think there are recognized ports of entry along the river.
I doubt the specific boundaries of the constitution-free zone have ever been tested in court. And I suspect if DHS wanted to, they would claim anywhere within 100 miles of a theoretical air port of entry (i.e., runway) was constitution free.