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Thread: Crossing the border next Thursday, a little apprehensive.....

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  1. #1
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Crossing the border next Thursday, a little apprehensive.....

    Next Thursday, 07/20, I will be crossing the border at Nogales to have my teeth deep cleaned (won't go on about the savings, you'all have heard that on and on and on by now) and to have lunch with a few people I am doing a survival run to the border with - two folks on this trip don't qualify for Expanded Medicaid and of course on their incomes seeing an Mexican doctor is so much easier to pull off than spending a much shorter period of time with a much more expensive American doctor. I will be staying with relatives of my husband's who live in Colonia Kennedy - one of the nicest neighborhoods in Nogales and a couple of bumps up the ladder from the 85006 to say the least.

    My worry is as usual not about crossing into Mexico but in returning to the US - from what I have heard (and I will admit here and now this is all thirdhand or more and I was not there to witness any of this personally) the US CBP was become more storm-trooperish under Trump and are doing whatever they can to hassle and harrass citizens fleeing across the border to save money. I am really worried that I am going to get hassled and harrassed......what scares me is that if such happens, and I don't legally fight back, I will have to live with myself and I'm just not willing to do so for this or any other country. No can do. So crossing into Mexico - such a liberating experience, so joyfully full of human rights due to medical/dental/optical not being extortionately priced to keep you on the treadmill until death - is now also a fear based experience, due to Donald Trump and the complete and total lack of checks and balances over US Customs and Border Patrol.

    I'm hoping what I am hearing is overblown urban legend as I don't care to tie up all the time fighting illegal harrassment would require - I'm hoping that this is relatively smooth and painless. We'll see. I hope to post an update that my fears were unfounded, I really do. So many people count on Mexico for life.....this is a HUGE deal even if to the regulars here it's not apparent why such would drive me to this level of fear. Must be nice to live in that country is all I can say........(to clarify, I mean in America at a social class level where my above words don't make immediate sense that would cause you to nod even if no one was around to see your agreement). Rob

  2. #2
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    ...the US CBP was become more storm-trooperish under Trump and are doing whatever they can to hassle and harrass citizens fleeing across the border to save money.

    ... a fear based experience, due to Donald Trump and the complete and total lack of checks and balances over US Customs and Border Patrol.
    Where do you even come up with this stuff?!!???

    I've crossed the border dozens of times since Trump was elected, and I've seen no stormtroopers. During the Obama administration, the local district got a bit out-of-hand, and people here had *legitimate* concerns crossing the border, but that was resolved through the fullness of time and our existing administrative, oversight, and review processes.

    I'm hoping what I am hearing is overblown urban legend
    Ya think?

    as I don't care to tie up all the time fighting illegal harrassment would require
    What would constitute "illegal harassment" in your mind?

  3. #3
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    We missed several Canadians at our North American Lily Show recently. They didn't come because they were afraid of trouble on the border. Well, also and to be fair, some were mad about a procedural show thIngie.

    So yeah, too bad about border trouble.

    oh I forgot, it was LAST YEAR in June 2016 that they were turned away at the border with their lilies. Who was in office then? Hmmm,let me think...now, its coming to me...give me a minute...

  4. #4
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    Rob, I know you've told us hundreds of times that you've been afraid of the US since you were 8 or 10 or 12 years old (lately you do seem to have settled on 8). All I can say is that someone did you a terrible dis-service placing that sort of fear into your head although you've had plenty of time to recover, and yet haven't.

    Speaking of borders, my wife and I drove into California from Arizona on I40 last week. I was surprised to see a border checkpoint where all westbound traffic on the Interstate were stopped for potential inspection. We were asked where we were headed and where we came from before being allowed to continue. This morning, we left California crossing into Nevada on I80. Again, the westbound traffic on the Interstate were all stopped before being allowed to proceed into the state.

    I've been to 48 of the 50 states and have never seen border checkpoints such as this. Who do you think is responsible, Trump or Jerry Brown?
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

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    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    NV and CA have done this for the 20 years I have been in the West. They are trying to keep certain bugs out so if you are carrying plants or produce from certain states it is not allowed. They try to keep on top of what states are having certain pest outbreaks. That is why they ask where you are coming from.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Rob:

    You're basically screwed. I am fairly certain they will arrest you, make you a part of a chain gang, and they will sentence you to build Trump's border wall. And once the wall is built they will punish you with a life sentence of living in America.

  7. #7
    Senior Member dmc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultralight View Post
    Rob:

    You're basically screwed. I am fairly certain they will arrest you, make you a part of a chain gang, and they will sentence you to build Trump's border wall. And once the wall is built they will punish you with a life sentence of living in America.
    You know your on the watch list being the leader of the 85006.

  8. #8
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dmc View Post
    You know your on the watch list being the leader of the 85006.
    I'm not the leader of the 85006 - as I've stated before, in this zip code I am well known due to my activism. Leave the 85006 and I'm nothing.....and I'm certainly no leader of the zip code I live in. Where did you get this from if I may ask? I wouldn't even want to be the leader of the 85006 if such a position existed - I just want to be left alone to engage in activism to make the world a slightly better place. That's it, that's all. No wishes for power here. Rob

  9. #9
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultralight View Post
    Rob:

    You're basically screwed. I am fairly certain they will arrest you, make you a part of a chain gang, and they will sentence you to build Trump's border wall. And once the wall is built they will punish you with a life sentence of living in America.
    I seriously doubt such would happen. What I am worried about is being interrogated and potentially detained for refusal to hand over passwords to social media accounts - something the US CBP has been having a field day with since Trump was sworn in. It helps that I am a US Citizen in the sense that there is only so much they can do to me before the ACLU will take the case, and tney have to let me reenter if they choose to harrass me, and it helps that I know the cut off that is accepted as not being excessive for detainments is 12 hours.....keep me detained for 12 hours and one second and I can go the ACLU, social media, and litigation routes.

    Something I find very creepy about the US border is that until you are readmitted, you are essentially in a Constitution Free zone and you don't have many rights until you reenter the country and the US CBP has essentially free reign to treat you how they wish with minimal checks and balances on them (if any). But there are a few points that can gain you leverage over them - 1. not being readmitted while holding a valid US passport that truly is yours, and 2. Being detained for one second over 12 hours as a US Citizen. Both or either can gain you some traction, some publicity, and potentially a settlement from the US CBP.

    I just wish the border had not become so militarized as it is now that you really need to know these things before crossing. It does help that I speak English as a first language and even more, the fact that I have white skin helps, too. And I know not to take a smartphone with me (a rare exception to my oft repeated rule) as the US CBP has been demanding to download the contents of traveler's smart phones more and more since Trump was sworn in. For you conservatives out there, this did happen under Obama, yes, you are right. But it has increased in scope and intensity since Trump was sworn in and you are better off crossing with a cheap flip phone (I'll be burrowing my Mom's). Also, since it's a short trip, the laptop stays home, and the tablet I bought from Target for 33.33 on Black Friday last year stays home, too. Rob

  10. #10
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    They probably think Rob is a Coyote!

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