NH Immigration Checkpoint Nets Zero Arrests: Report

LINCOLN, NH — U.S. Border Patrol agents last week reportedly conducted another immigration checkpoint in New Hampshire's North Country region. The Concord Monitor reported Thursday the checkpoint was held in Lincoln on Interstate 93 South Monday, August 23 through August 30. A Border Patrol official told the Monitor the checkpoint was frequently interrupted by heavy rain.

It was the third immigration checkpoint held in the North Country so far this year. In June, five illegal aliens were arrested during a checkpoint on I-93 in Woodstock. The immigrants, from Brazil, China, Ecuador, El Salvador and Mexico, were set to be deported, officials said.

Several more checkpoints are planned in New Hampshire the rest of the year, officials said. Border Patrol agents have stepped up such checkpoints across the country during the Trump Administration.

"Checkpoint operations are a critical enforcement tool for the enforcement of our immigration laws and are a part of our defense in depth strategy," U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent Robert Garcia said in a statement. "In addition to technology, manpower and intelligence, checkpoints help to deny access to major routes of egress away from the border and into our communities in the interior of the U.S."

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire opposes the checkpoints.

"For a state that prides itself on being welcoming to all, these checkpoints tell a very different story, one of discrimination and dismissal of our constitutional rights and values," the group said in a statement. "As Americans, we are at risk of losing our fundamental rights and freedoms — including the right to simply go about our business free from government interference, harassment, and abuse."

The ACLU said it learned Border Patrol are planning multiple New Hampshire immigration checkpoints the rest of the year. Another immigration checkpoint held earlier this year in Bangor, Maine, netted one arrest. Border patrol officials told CNN the New Hampshire and Maine checkpoints were aimed at "smuggling organizations."Border Patrol officials issued this statement to CNN about motorists' rights during checkpoints:

"Travelers have the right to remain silent. Travelers who cooperate are passed through quickly, unless the agent suspects they are in violation of federal law. Travelers who refuse to cooperate may be referred to a secondary examination area to allow agents to conduct additional questioning to determine the traveler's citizenship or residency."

The ACLU said agents have been telling motorists they are "required" to answer questions about their immigration status.

"(Border Patrol) officials also told individuals that, if they did not answer questions, they would be indefinitely detained until they agreed to answer," the ACLU's statement continued. "This too is not only a legally inaccurate statement, but it flies in the face of the Fourth Amendment and the cases interpreting it ... If a person refuses to comply and CBP cannot promptly determine the person's immigration status, CBP must immediately release that person. CBP should cease its practice immediately of lying about the law and what is required in order to coerce compliance."

This year's New Hampshire and Maine immigration checkpoints were held within 100 miles of the Canadian border. Federal law allows border agents to patrol within 100 miles of the country's borders.

Previous:

• Immigration Checkpoint On Major New Hampshire Highway
• NH Immigration Checkpoint Nets 5 For Deportation
• More NH Immigration Checkpoints Planned In 2018
• Maine Immigration Checkpoint Nets 1
• NH Border Patrol Checkpoint Nets 25 Illegal Aliens: Authorities

Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducts an immigration checkpoint on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire in May 2018. (Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)