Border Patrol to screen hurricane evacuees for citizenship status

[Vermouth]

I thought this was a joke. It's not.

" ... Hurricane season starts June 1. In the event of a hurricane in the region, emergency officials predict more than 130,000 evacuees will leave the Valley by school bus. They will be checked for identification and citizenship before they can board.

Anyone who is not a citizen or is not a legal resident will be held in specially designed areas in the Valley that are “made to withstand hurricanes,” said Dan Doty, a Border Patrol spokesperson for the Valley sector ..."

As the New York Times put it, "Winds may be howling, floodwaters rising and rescuers in McAllen and Brownsville scrambling to get 100,000 to 150,000 sick, elderly, poor and disabled people to safety as quickly as possible — but if Grandma doesn’t have her papers, she isn’t getting on the bus."

http://www.riograndeguardian.com/rggnews_story.asp?story_no=6

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Maybe not but I laughed! 

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

seems like it would be easier to just not let illegals into the country in the first place.  regardless, its a start

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Be advised that the NYT has an open borders agenda and puts the worst spin possible on these stories. Next to lecturing us on the joys of homosexuality this is their top priority.

[Vermouth]

The article I quoted and linked is the Rio Grande Guardian. The local authorities are pretty pissed off ... the Border Patrol is supposed to assist them in evacuating people, not waste time checking documentation.

In the event of an emergency, Border Patrol will assist other federal, state, and local authorities in a safe evacuation but at the same time uphold its job of “border security, protecting the border, and establishing alienage,” Doty said.

“By no means do we want to stop somebody from safely evacuating but we do, and we will do our job while we assist,” Doty said. “We check for citizenship, (and) with our agents it does not take long. It's a very quick process.”

Agents are very good at picking up on things that would lead them to believe somebody isn't a U.S. citizen or does not have legal residence, Doty said.

Edit: Anyone who has passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint knows it's not a quick process!

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

The article I quoted and linked is the Rio Grande Guardian. The local authorities are pretty pissed off ... the Border Patrol is supposed to assist them in evacuating people, not waste time checking documentation.

In the event of an emergency, Border Patrol will assist other federal, state, and local authorities in a safe evacuation but at the same time uphold its job of “border security, protecting the border, and establishing alienage,” Doty said.

“By no means do we want to stop somebody from safely evacuating but we do, and we will do our job while we assist,” Doty said. “We check for citizenship, (and) with our agents it does not take long. It's a very quick process.”

Agents are very good at picking up on things that would lead them to believe somebody isn't a U.S. citizen or does not have legal residence, Doty said.

Edit: Anyone who has passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint knows it's not a quick process!

BUt you quoted the Times because....?

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

the un recommends swimming lessons and life jackets

[Vermouth]

BUt you quoted the Times because....?

I thought the way they expressed the situation was funny.