There are many heartbreaking stories of immigrants and their families who are deported or caught when they enter into the United States illegally. There are also many accounts of violent MS-13, Surenos, Mexican Mafia, and La "Eme" gang members who enter into the United States illegally. The Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias sees its fair share of people fleeing economic ruin as well as criminal aliens. This checkpoint also has the highest seizure rate for narcotics and conveyances in the country. This checkpoint has seized automatic weapons from gang-members, apprehended and deported sexual predators, and served as first-responders to emergencies within the small rural community. For the author to take liberties ridiculing "the good neighbor" aspect of the CBP article is uncool, considering that the agents working the checkpoint are in fact regarded as members of the local community. The author would not know this without traveling to the area and seeing it first-hand. Curtailing checkpoint authority as the ACLU would like would seriously undermine what checkpoints can accomplish. Checkpoints were not "set-up" under CPB, they were created under INS and they have been around a while, nothing new. So how do we strike a balance, being humane yet still carrying out a law enforcement mission?

Guest