Homeland Security and Brain Health - An Odd Couple?
Customs agents have the authority to conduct patrols at ports of entry to prevent dangerous or illegal objects from being brought in to the country. Nevertheless the MSC Poesia was leaving the nation, not arriving. The passengers'possession of drugs in the U.S. was a crime, however, not an offense customs agents are faced with preventing. Why were customs and border patrol agents mixed up in raid? The solution might simply be that they were the folks who brought the dogs. In United States v. Place and Illinois v. Caballes, the Supreme Court discovered that the sniff of a police dog doesn't constitute a "search" because it generally does not reveal any information regarding which an individual may have a fair expectation of privacy. If canine alerts its trainers to the possible presence of drugs, the non-canine officers have probable cause to investigate further. Pay attention to the truth that a CBP spokeswoman did not say exactly how many people were arrested, nor would she give their names. That information would let's follow-up the actual outcomes of the raid. This appears like an exercise whose purpose was publicity, not law enforcement. While the searches might have been defensible beneath the Supreme Court's rulings, I imagine an excellent criminal lawyer will make quick work of a prosecutor's case for failing woefully to prove who packed a suitcase, or if the drugs may have been introduced at the dock or afterward by someone other than the owner. But this might only happen if there were a really prosecution, that is unlikely given the penny-ante results the raids produced. Is this what we want the Customs and Border Patrol to be doing today Veterans slam Trump for border 'stunt'? We have already seen border agents run roughshod over civil rights - namely the right to visit within U.S. borders in peace - along the Canadian border. Using their authorization to interrogate anyone within a "reasonable distance" of a border regarding immigration status, CBP agents regularly question individuals on buses and trains between U.S. cities.(2) The Lake Shore Limited Amtrak train, which runs between Chicago and New York without ever passing through Canada, is really a particular favorite haunt for roving border patrols. I'm inclined to believe that Americans smoking pot in America doesn't pose a lot of a risk to the united states, but it's even more obvious that Americans smoking pot in Honduras or Mexico, the MSC Poesia's two destinations, poses no threat at all. The Hondurans or the Mexicans should stop those drugs from entering their countries. For the reason that case, they can conduct their very own searches when passengers disembark. The potential harm caused by the pre-departure search, on the other hand, is actually evident. The cruise ship industry is an important area of the Florida economy. Every Saturday and Sunday morning, from fall through spring, at least half a dozen gigantic cruise liners pull into Port Everglades before sunrise and disgorge their passengers, while others get to Miami, West Palm Beach and elsewhere across the state. They generally reload and depart on their next cruise just before sunset. Fewer ships call at the port on weekdays and in the summer, but there's still a significant level of activity. This keeps a lot of people employed. There are individuals who focus on the ships themselves, people who drive passengers to and from the docks, people who sell food and other goods to passengers in their stopovers, and many others who directly or indirectly rely on the cruise industry for their livelihoods. While I don't have any great need to set about a cruise myself, I understand I'd be even less inclined to wish to hop aboard if this meant having my possessions scrutinized by federal agents who are on fishing expeditions. I that is amazing others that are more enthusiastic about cruises are likely equally uninterested in having their bags examined. The cruise industry is centered on fostering an environment of hospitality and relaxation. Drug-sniffing dogs don't create quite the same ambiance as, say, complimentary piña coladas might. CBP agents have a vital and occasionally dangerous job protecting our borders, yet somehow this is not enough to help keep the agency from trying to find other things to do. These extracurricular adventures have unpleasant police-state overtones. Someone needs to bring the border patrol, along using its dogs, to heel.