Border Patrol
Last month when Delia was on her way to her laser appointment she encountered a road block situation by the Hood Canal Bridge: border patrol. We were mystified by it since THAT IS NOT THE BORDER and we’ve never seen anything like that before and I’ve lived in Washington state my whole entire life. So maybe there was a terrorist threat to smuggle weapons from Canada and blow up a submarine or something as it passed under the bridge? Far-fetched, but it was the only legit reason I could think of for the border patrol to be fucking around in these parts.
I know I’ll probably regret posting this because it’s loaded with keywords that might bring people from our town and sparsely-populated region to this blog; that’s why I haven’t linked to our local papers’ coverage of it, because I totally do NOT need a trail leading from my porn site to our local paper and back again. But here’s a story on what they’re doing and how totally fucked up it is. Because we live within 100 miles of the CANADIAN border, they’re using 9/11 to justify slowing everyone down to pick out and harass anyone who looks Latino in a line of cars. We don’t live by the Mexican border, and in my whole life here I’ve never heard of migrant farm workers committing acts of terrorism whether they were here legally or not. So WHAT THE FUCK?!?
I cannot believe this is fucking AMERICA in this new century. It’s almost like traveling in time and space to some hideous place where all black people have a curfew and are detained by the strong arm of the law to show their paperwork, etc. “What are you doing on the highway without your papers?” And then the border patrol brags in the paper about how they “netted” however-many “illegals” they caught in their shitty little traps. And the white folk in the line of cars gawk as the men with guns chase the brown-skinned people who leap from moving vehicles to RUN into the woods to try to get away.
Where the fuck am I living? What the fuck is going on? I seriously cannot believe this shit and the people who have the pink balls to defend it. And they gleefully tell us to expect MORE of it. They’re ramping up! Their funding has been increased!
It boggles my mind the way these fuckers act so proud of their horrid, invasive, pathetic jobs. The way they won’t acknowledge for a second that what they’re doing is a violation of civil liberties and pretty much defeats the purpose of living in what we like to call a “free” country. Nothing personal against those who are just following orders and need their crappy job with the border patrol, but it makes me mad when I as a whore am shamed and vilified for my job but these guys? Get to walk around with their chests puffed out for stopping people without cause and wreaking havoc on people’s lives. For reminding all of us how weak this country really is and scaring us all into seeing the horrifyingly distinct possibility that freedom is something that too many Americans are happy to see flushed down the shitter if it means maintaining some semblance of white supremacy.
I can’t even imagine how angry I would be if I were an American Indian stopped and harassed at one of these checkpoints. I think I would lose my fucking marbles at the sickness of it, the US border patrol trying to keep brown-skinned people OFF land they stole FROM brown-skinned people. Where do they fucking get off?














I’m super glad I’ve never run into one of these checkpoints (I’ve definitely travelled by car often enough in areas where they’re possible). I’m a (legal) immigrant, but I don’t carry my permanent resident card around anymore like I’m required to, because I’m prone to losing my wallet. That thing costs nearly $400, a lot of time, and a couple of visits to the USCIS to replace. For me, a border checkpoint very likely means a trip to the police station to verify my status.
There were many things I preferred about living in Canada, but America has always represented freedom to me. The one thing America has going for it, that no other country can claim to outdo them on, is in danger of slipping away. If and when it does, I’m out of here in a flash.
They have been running these checks in Anacortes since at least March, stopping people coming off the ferries from the San Juan islands, even if they haven’t come through international waters. My dad and I were caught up in one in April and it was extremely unpleasant, because he lost it and shouted at them and all of a sudden we were surrounded by five armed officers and a dog. It was one of the most traumatic experiences I’ve ever had with authority figures: watching a cop stand over your dad with a baton threatening to arrest him and beat him up is NOT recommended. We were outraged and wrote to our congressman, senator and the governer, and the head of the border police. If you believe you can make a difference that way, I encourage you to do so as well. I made a blog post about the experience but it’s semi-private so I won’t link to it from here, but if you would like to read it I’ll happily email you the link.
I’m a Canadian citizen. My work requires me to travel around the world. I recently returned from a 2 year trip to the American south west. Boarder Patrol was everywhere. Road blocks were set up on every interstate I traveled on. I`ve been stopped many times, but never had a problem. They`d asked my citizenship and I`d answer honestly. Not once was I asked for my visa and passport. It was clear they were not looking for Canadians, at least not caucasians.
There`s an irony I found over illegal immigration in the United States. Migration of South Americans could be linked to foreign policy stances and interventions taken by American leaders over the decades. The resulting economic hardships and reduced standard of living has caused millions to seek opportunity in the U.S.. Having been through the visa process myself, there are no channels available for unskilled labourers to work and live legally. Immigration isn`t viable for many either, given the expenses involved (among other reasons).
The United States promotes itself as a beckon of freedom and an example for the world. It troubles me that in an effort to preserving its ideology, it`s slowly becoming a police state; ironic in itself. What`s worse is those citizens who express their dismay are labelled `anti-American` or even a terrorist by the ruling elite and their followers. What good is freedom of expression if nobody’s listening?
I found the United States anything but united. As a friend her people, it pains me deeply.