Border Patrol on Amtrak
 

I was riding the Empire Builder (thanks to CO FF miles... sweet), which is within the 100 mile "no-rights zone" for quite a while, though it never crosses the border, and never even runs orthogonally to the border. This is probably the last place you'd find someone who just crossed the US border. Anyways...

Two armed BP agents boarded in ND and walked through the train; I was in the dining car with other suspected illegals. Somewhere in ND I got off to take a short walk (it was a 30 hour ride), as did the BP agents. I politely asked one of them what they were doing on this particular train. The response: "Looking for people who shouldn't be here."

Instead of politely leaving, I wish I had pointed out the utter foolishness of their assignment. If the BP is so moronic as to think that its agents are more likely to find illegals on the Empire Builder than the JFK AirTrain or E-train subway in NYC, they are complete and utter [insert noun for extreme lack of intelligence and knowledge]. The AirTrain passengers, and perhaps even E subway passengers , are far more likely to be on an international trip, and are also within the 100 mile no-rights zone. The same can be said of drivers on the N-B Van Wyck expressway. How about putting a BP checkpoint there? It would catch far more illegals per BP-agent man-hour.

Why does the BP waste its agents' time and our tax money like this? Is it incompetence, a desire to fail (catching 100s of illegals on a highway in NYC might make the news), punishment for agents (I bet ND is really fun), or is it something else?

I am not making an issue of catching illegal immigrants. My complaint is that it should be done as efficiently as possible (i.e. lowest cost, in terms of $ and rights infringed, per apprehended illegal immigrant).

N.B. Neither I, nor my non-US citizen spouse, had our ID checked or citizenship questioned during the entire trip.

... End of rant.

How can you tell a canadian from a USian?

How can you tell an Indian citizen from a US/Canadian citizen of indian descent?

Seems like a lot of those checks are racist b/c there is no requirement to carry proof of citizenship for US citizens.

I give a thumbs up to any rant that makes me look up the definition of a word.

^

Did you notice how long they remained on the train, and what accommodations they had?

If it's a day trip, or if they get roomettes or better for over one shift, my guess is, it's a perk. Would you rather be trapped in a booth doing a full day's work, or enjoying views of the prairie while eating AmTrak food and being mostly out of cell range?

Hmmm... views of a prairie. "Grassland: this is the Border Patrol. Papers please. Headquarters: the grassland is undocumented... we're placing it into custody. Over. [static]." :D

I saw them during the day. AFAIK they boarded in the daylight AM and did not stay very long; though they could have been hassling the coach and Portland-bound sleeper pax for hours. I was staying in the 2nd car; after the baggage and crew cars the 1st two cars are Seattle-bound sleepers (mostly retired white couples and railfans; Mrs. ralfp and I were oddballs) and the 3rd car is the dining car.