Americans have a right to move about without fear of being
groundlessly stopped by law enforcement. As far as we know,
that constitutional right applies to all Americans, not just
the minority who live far removed from the nation's borders.
In what is proving to be a sweeping Bush administration security
initiative, the Department of Homeland Security has expanded
use of its authority to operate within 100 miles of the border.
That has come to include increasingly frequent use of roadblocks
in Western Washington.
Much of the activity has occurred around Bellingham and Port
Angeles. As the Seattle P-I's Paul Shukovsky reported, it
has become routine to check an intercity bus on the Olympic
Peninsula at least weekly, subjecting each passenger to questioning
about his or her citizenship papers. The Border Patrol maintains
it could exercise its authority in Seattle, as well.
Indeed, by American Civil Liberties Union calculations based
on U.S. Census Bureau data, nearly two-thirds of Americans
live within 100 miles of either a land border or the coast.
That alone ought to show why it's important that the ACLU
plans to test the continuing expansion of border-related powers
in court.
There's also the matter of priorities and effectiveness.
Just last month, U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan had to tell the
Border Patrol his office didn't want to see any more small
marijuana possession cases from the roadblocks.
