http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS/505260 408/1003/NEWS02
Border patrol cuts back at checkpoint May 26, 2005 The Associated Press HARTFORD - The U.S. Border Patrol has dramatically curtailed operations at a traffic checkpoint along Interstate 91 at the Hartford rest area, 97 miles from the Canadian border. Assistant Chief Patrol Agent John Pfeifer of the Border Patrol's Swanton Sector said the cuts were not in response to criticisms about government intrusions nearly 100 miles from the border, but were due to more staff being needed elsewhere, particularly the Southwest. "Obviously, it's reduced, as you can tell. We have reduced coverage down there based strictly on manpower issues," Pfeifer said. The Swanton sector covers the three northernmost counties in New Hampshire, all of Vermont, and upstate New York to Ogdensburg. Other interior checkpoints include a stop in North Hudson, N.Y., along Interstate 87. The Hartford checkpoint has drawn heated criticism from area residents concerned about government intrusion, and its impact on the war on terror was even questioned last month by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The Border Patrol has increased operations in the Southwest this spring, both to crack down on illegal immigration from Mexico and to help prevent deaths of immigrants caught in the scorching heat of the desert. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Border Patrol had adopted a "threat-based" approach in deploying agents. "My concern has been that this checkpoint does far more to harass law-abiding Vermonters than it is able to achieve in trying to protect their security, and I have told that to Homeland Security officials," Leahy said in a statement. "I welcome this change to use the checkpoint with more discretion and less frequency." The Hartford checkpoint began being staffed on a daily basis in December 2003, and as of last month, 640 people had been arrested there on immigration-related matters. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
