ICE AGENTS RAID MY GREYHOUND BUS! (AllVoices.com)

ICE AGENTS RAID MY GREYHOUND BUS!

[H/T to Twitter user @RobertTilford.
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Fort Worth : TX : USA | May 11, 2011
By Robert Tilford

It all began I suppose when the bus driver began acting strangely...you see, I decided to take a Greyhound bus in Phoenix to see a friend and mid way through my journey at the Texas border, we slowed way down and stopped.

The bus lights came on, the door opened and the bus driver then got off real quick (which prompted me to stand up). All this as ICE (Immigration and Customs enforcement) officers got on and asked me and another guy to sit down!They moved to the back of the back of the bus and asked everyone on the bus if they were US citizens. After which they took one Mexican illegal away!

ORDERED OFF THE BUS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!
We were then ordered off the bus, and stood in a long line in frontof a armed border patrol agent with his arms folded across his chest, looking sorta pass us, but not directly, unless if was just for a moment.

I should add that this is 1 am in the morning and I am standing there with elderly people and women with small children...

What happened next was the dogs were brought out, and the luggage and interior of the bus was searched. The old guy standing next to me said "drugs"? I said, "well...maybe, but it could just as well be anything else nowadays, from guns to explosives and who know what else they will find riding down beneath us."

UNSCREENED PACKAGES BELOW US
Greyhound I said, operates a package service also, that many people forget sometimes. These packages and baggage were unscreened when we boarded the bus. They are checking it only right now. Which means we could have been in danger in they find something."

Then one man was taken aside and arrested. It was said they found an ounce of marijuana in his bag. Judging from his limp - he could have also been a marijuana patient from Arizona - where Marijuana is considered medicine! Needless to say he didn't get back on the bus? And we are not sure what happened to him? One passenger said he was "renditioned" to Gitmo maybe by now? We laughed, but it was a reminder of the US somewhat conflicted policy approach on drugs like marijuana. But I will leave that for better men than me to debate?

HIJACKING!

About that time they were also pulling over large semi trucks, and a semi was stopped nearby and an ICE agent went over and shined his light on the back of it, and he radioed for help - it appreared to have been broken into. Even I could see that, telltail signs of a hijacking! A radio call later and 3 ICE agents move in with hands on their side arms and arrested two African american gentleman for what could have been a truck container highjacking of some type. ICE agents swung the door open and the compartment was loaded with boxes. Later we could see one ICE agent crawl inside there to see what how far back it went. I assume they will have to sieze it.

HUSTLED BACK ON THE BUS BY AGENTS WANTING US TO MOVE QUICKLY!

Moments later we were hustled back on the bus and I found thecontexts of my bag had been gonethrough and my cologne was missing. I later found it on the floor under my seat? Who knows what they were looking for exactly what they found in my case was "dirty underwear", and 3 dollar in pocket change?

So we all settle down. It is strangely quite for only a moment before people begin to look around at each other. Then as people do they begin to talk. I told the gut next to me "wait for it, wait for it"...

KEEPING AN ICE RAID IN PERSPECTIVE IS MOST IMPORTANT I THINK!

The gentleman besides me said he resented the fact that they asked him if he was a citizen. "I'm white for God's sake! Maybe I should have said "se senor", he said. I responded by saying that would have been inappropriate as well as ill advised! But that he made the point "precisely" - you see by asking everyone they can get around "racial profiling". So they ask you and they ask me. No big deal. I said look, "we bitch, moan and complain about the border patrol not doing it's job all the time, and now that they are you want to complain about that too."

BORDER PATROL JUST DOING THEIR JOBS!

Hell the border patrol can't win for losing in this debate? He looked stunned before he said "I know your right, they are just doing their job. Which Ireminded them was to protect us.

YES BORDER PATROL HAS THE RIGHT TO ASK YOU IF YOU ARE A CITIZEN!

We discussed later the right of the border patrol and immigrations, custom and border officials to ask anyone if they are a US citizen here legally? In my case, " I flashed them my Passport and thanked them for asking me that question.

They are here to protect us after all. I must admit, I found the experience exciting, but then I wasn't trying to hide anything either. Sorta like meeting a celebrity up close. But then again I'm from small town Kansas, where we don't see this kind of thing all the time.

About the only thing I regret is not having my camera ready to see if I could get a picture of myself real quick with the ICE agent for the album back home.

After which I heard the driver come back on board, I turned around and our eyes met, before we smiled at one another and I knew everything was alright.

He then asked that "we all please take our seats we are slightly behind schedule, our next break would be in 100 miles, where we could enjoy some coffee maybe or McDonald before we proceed again to our final destination."

With that we were on the road again, worried more about our uncomfortable seats than anything else and the ICE raid was just a distance memory.