“On the streets, . . . the Border Patrol calls the shots.”

CLAUDINE LoMONACO in the Tucson Citizen writes: “According to the courts, the mere presence of an illegal immigrant in a vehicle does not mean the driver has committed a crime. On the streets, however, the Border Patrol calls the shots.” Yet, “A 1999 class-action law suit, Gete v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, successfully challenged the Border Patrol’s seizure policy. ‘It’s absolutely incorrect what they’re saying that they can seize just because there is somebody illegally in the car,’ said Robert Pauw, a Seattle lawyer who filed the suit. ‘They cannot do that and it’s very clear.’ Click here for Dan Kowalski’s story and a link to pertinent documents in the Gete lawsuit.

KJ