As President Donald Trump has intensified the immigration debate with his inflammatory rhetoric and rapid increase of federal raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, it's still important that law-abiding U.S. citizens are well aware of their own rights. A college professor sought to teach an important lesson for those who are stopped at Border Patrol checkpoints.
Angus Johnston, a City University of New York professor, sent out several tweets about how documented citizens can refuse to comply with requests to provide proof of papers. The tweets came after a video showed U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents requesting proof of citizenship from passengers on a Greyhound bus in Florida.
.@CustomsBorder got on a Greyhound bus yesterday at 4:30pm in Fort Lauderdale and asked every passenger for their papers and to prove citizenship. Proof of citizenship is NOT required to ride a bus! For more information about your rights, call our hotline👉 1-888-600-5762 pic.twitter.com/rWJn61o8VP
— FLImmigrantCoalition (@FLImmigrant) January 20, 2018
"If you're documented and don't have any warrants, the time to think about whether and how you'd refuse to comply with such requests is now," Johnston advised in a tweet.
He explained, "Even asking questions about whether you're required to comply will slow the process down and make others aware of their rights."
Johnston went on to explain that the NYPD sets up checkpoints at the entrances of subways from time to time, but that they're considered "voluntary."
Johnston shared his own experience, in which he said "no thanks" upon being asked at a subway entrance to have his belongings searched.
Johnston encouraged others to prepare themselves for similar scenarios and strategize how to act ahead of time.
Johnston closed with a message about unreasonable searches and the role the fourth amendment plays in ensuring individual liberties.
Johnston's advice comes amidst widespread immigration crackdowns under the Trump administration. Recently, an undocumented man who was unable to qualify for DACA was separated from his family and deported from the U.S., despite living here for 30 years, as Salon has previously reported. Under Trump, immigration arrests have skyrocketed, with the arrest of noncriminals seeing the largest increase.
Shares