Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!
Our 9 month series, New Hampshire's Immigration Story explored just that... the vast history of who came to New Hampshire, when they came, why they came, the challenges they faced once they landed on Granite State soil and the contributions that they brought to our state. The Exchange, Word of Mouth, and our News Department looked at the issue of immigration from its first arrivals to the newest refugees calling New Hampshire home.We saw how immigration affects our economy, health care, education system, culture and our current system of law. We also looked at what's going on in New Hampshire today, as we uncovered the groups, societies and little known people who are making an impact all over the state.Funding for NH's Immigration Story is brought to you in part by: New Hampshire Humanities Council, Norwin S. and Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation, The Gertrude Couch Trust0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff89e10000

Vermont Senator Leahy Offers Bill to Limit Border Patrol Checkpoints

CBP.gov

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont introduced legislation last week that would put limits on where Border Patrol officers can operate immigration checkpoints. The “Border Zone Reasonableness Restoration Act of 2018” is co-sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

 

Currently, Customs and Border Protection can stop vehicles within 100 miles of the border, which Leahy and others have pointed out includes many of the nation’s largest population centers. This new law would cut the border zone to 25 miles.

 

The current rules are what make recent checkpoints on Interstate 93 in Woodstock possible, some 90 miles away from the the Canadian border.

 

Patrick Eddington is a Policy Analyst with the Libertarian think tank the CATO Institute, which along with the ACLU, has been critical of CBP immigration enforcement practices. He said he'd prefer the border zone limited to just one mile.

 

"The more CBP goes out into American communities and engages in this kind of conduct, the more resistance you're going to see and the more likely you're going to see some kind of move to rein in this thing," Eddington said.

 

In a previously issued statement, CBP says immigration checkpoints are a critical tool for the enforcement of the nation's immigration laws.

 

“The Trump administration’s aggressive yet wasteful use of immigration enforcement resources has subjected law-abiding citizens to needless and intrusive searches at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoints far from the border,” Leahy said in a statement.

 

So far this summer, checkpoints on I-93 have led to the arrest of 22 individuals who "did not have  legal immigration status."

Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.