Texas Woman Barred from U.S.

Saw this story in the news today. Seemed simple enough but i'm reading between the lines here and i'm considering the future ramifications of such instances.

News Story Link

A Texas woman has been stranded on the Mexican side of the US border for more than three months after making a statement saying she was born in Mexico and was not an American citizen, The Brownsville Herald reported. Brenda Vazquez said her "false" statement to a US border official at the Brownsville international bridge on Feb. 19 came after she was grilled for seven hours when she attempted to re-enter Texas -- where she says she was born in Weslaco in 1982. Read more: www.foxnews.com...

The real meat of this story is that she made the statement under duress, after 7 hours of being interrogated. Anyone who is held in a small room for 7 hours being accused, abused, and threatened will make almost any statement to get out.

While there is no proof she was physically abused, i would say 7 hours would be mentally abusive. You can't maintain composure for that long unless your trained to do so.

So what can this mean? They can ask for your documents to prove your legality as a citizen, you hand them over, they take them away, and then now you have no proof? The power these agencies have over the regular civilian is scary as hell.

It seems the real course to take here is more punishment against law enforcement offices for such offenses. As it stands right now, if you do sue a law enforcement office, the money just comes from the tax payers. I would suggest that if an agency does something like this, their budget MUST fall by the amount they are sued (if they lose of course) so that hopefully someone gets fired. Or the money should come from the pension fund ONLY that way there is incentive to not break the rules and get punished. This would be good since all officers would suffer the punishment of the actions of one or few, maybe they would stop protecting each others bad behavior. If a good cop joins a station full of bad officers, the risk their pension, maybe they'll do their best to clean it up or won't protect the bad behaviors anymore? Right now they can violate our laws, and torment civilians, and then when they get caught, they keep their pensions and any settlement is just paid fro by the civilians anyway. It's bogus.

My suggestions come with their own downsides of course. Corruption might increase to counter them, but i do know, as it stands now, the system is broken.

What I get from the story:

Don't go to Mexico.



But seriously, It's not that hard to prove your citizenship. Contact the American Embassy and go from there. She may have signed the statement, but it's irrelevent if she is an actual citizen. Passports and Driver's License are just personal proof, and the emabassy can easily verify their authenticity even if not in the possession of the person at the time.

...or maybe she should have watched Cheech Marin in "Born in East LA" for how to get back in the US.

CBP must be bored with the slow-down of the influx at the border. Meanwhile, within the interior, ICE is allowing all but the very worst walk - released either pending immigration proceedings, or without having been processed at all.

Prosecutorial Discretion is the new flavor (of this administration during election year). Females and minors are not even considered by ICE.

So guns and cash go out. Dope comes in. And CBP interrogates a female and denies her entry.

Way to go, DHS!

Is that all I have to do to get a free ride out of the USA, I say we all do it, see who's left to control lol

It all comes down to contract law. Show the wet ink signature from both sides agreeing to the contact.
No Contract, No Obligation.

Originally posted by isyeye

...or maybe she should have watched Cheech Marin in "Born in East LA" for how to get back in the US.

edit on 4-6-2012 by isyeye because: (no reason given)

Man that brings back memories.

Someone should send this poor woman a copy of this one.

Originally posted by Shark_Feeder

Originally posted by isyeye

...or maybe she should have watched Cheech Marin in "Born in East LA" for how to get back in the US.

edit on 4-6-2012 by isyeye because: (no reason given)

Man that brings back memories.

Someone should send this poor woman a copy of this one.

Love that movie.

But if I'm deported I would not even think twice about coming back in, but lets say you get deported sneak back in as an Illegal, become a legal alien than qualify for a hardship business loan and live better than you did on the first go around

Where is her passport or enhanced DL?

Source

Trinidad Muraira de Castro, a Mexican citizen with a border crossing card, tried to enter the U.S. at the B&M International Bridge with her two adult daughters, who are U.S. citizens, and her infant granddaughter, according to court papers. A CBP officer — the same one listed in Vazquez’s case — separated the family and questioned some of them for 10 hours until one of the daughters said she was born in Mexico to end the interrogation, according to court papers.

How is this guy picking and choosing which ones he wants to keep? How does he single out one daughter and let the rest of the family go?

Seems like Vazquez is going to have a fight on her hands now. What a shame.

This may not have happened had she not made the statement that she was born in Mexico and not a American citizen. The border cops don't have a sense of humor.

I think there is more to the story than what we are currently given, like, why was she being questioned for 7 hours to begin with?

Lets get to the meat of the situation.

Originally posted by tpsreporter

The real meat of this story is that she made the statement under duress, after 7 hours of being interrogated. Anyone who is held in a small room for 7 hours being accused, abused, and threatened will make almost any statement to get out.

I'm with Cosmic Jack; there is more to the story, like why officers would waste 7 hours of their day, and an interrogation room, just to harass a "nobody?"

I don't know what your experiences have been like traveling abroad, but I can tell you that I've been grilled that long on several occasions. By the likes of French and German police. The French had legitimate questions about technical equipment in my possession. But my only offense with the German authorities was that when they asked me a question in German, I answered them in German, even though I possess a US passport. Their questions were based on the premise that "real Americans don't speak any foreign languages." Worse, my passport was a reissue, and was completely clean except for my entry in to Germany directly from the states. Apparently you are sinister if you don't do the whole "European Tour" with a different country every day. That little episode cost me ... 7 hours, coincidentally.

While there is no proof she was physically abused, i would say 7 hours would be mentally abusive. You can't maintain composure for that long unless your trained to do so.

It takes the Popos Mexicanos that long just to fill out your paperwork...

So what can this mean? They can ask for your documents to prove your legality as a citizen, you hand them over, they take them away, and then now you have no proof? The power these agencies have over the regular civilian is scary as hell.

Big Deal, The clerk at the night desk of a hotel in Florence has that much authority. No, seriously. They want to KEEP your passport to hold your hotel room for you until tomorrow morning. They will give you a photocopy of your passport to you(!), and if you are questioned by the police, all you have is a photocopy, with your real passport "back at the hotel." And it takes them an hour to decide which officers will escort you back to your hotel to inspect the original document. But first they have to stop for coffee and a snack in a cafe before we go. Then all 5 of them march you back to your hotel, just to verify your passport. Instead of copying down the information, they just make a photocopy(!).

What if the clerk doesn't want to show them your passport? Well, you have to pay him, of course. And buy him a drink form the bar. Seriously.

If you don't want cops in ill-fitting uniforms with 5 o'clock shadows to look through your wallet and "lose" your passport, then you should probably just stay home.

Or you could start leaving a twenty in your passport, as a "bookmark." You lose the 20 every times some cop fondles your paperwork, but they let you in, even to places you weren't supposed to go. Mexicans call it "Propina," or "Mordita." Arab-speakers call it "Backsheesh"

In the meantime, we could make every one of our enforcement officers so nervous that none of them ask any questions or interrogate anyone at all, for fear of losing their pensions. Then our border officials would just be glorified museum guides.

PSYOPS.

They are trying to scare Americans into not going to Mexico anymore. That Border Patrol Agent did the same tactic to multiple people....he must have been told to do so and his supervisor approves.


PSYOP. She's just the guinea pig for their project.

Originally posted by Shark_Feeder

Originally posted by isyeye

...or maybe she should have watched Cheech Marin in "Born in East LA" for how to get back in the US.

edit on 4-6-2012 by isyeye because: (no reason given)

Man that brings back memories.

Someone should send this poor woman a copy of this one.

That movie should be in all civics classes in high schools.

By the way, the scene where Cheech is updating the chest tattoo of some lunkhead's ex-girlfriend is one of the most hilarious things ever committed to celluloid. (The tattoo is being changed from a portait of the lady to a portrait of the lady getting her brains blown out.)

reply to post by tovenar

The French had legitimate questions about technical equipment in my possession. But my only offense with the German authorities was that when they asked me a question in German, I answered them in German, even though I possess a US passport. Their questions were based on the premise that "real Americans don't speak any foreign languages." Worse, my passport was a reissue, and was completely clean except for my entry in to Germany directly from the states. Apparently you are sinister if you don't do the whole "European Tour" with a different country every day. That little episode cost me ... 7 hours, coincidentally.

Could you be so kind and tell me that question and your answer, please? Because I have someone from the polizei sitting next to me, now. He speaks better english then me and you should have seen his face while reading your account. What date was that? Thank you.