SUMMARY:In "The Line Becomes a River," Francisco Cantú describes his experience as a Border Patrol agent in the deserts of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Written as a collection of dispatches, Cantú shows how the job became a difficult balancing act between his sense of shared humanity and the demands of law enforcement. The author joins Jeffrey Brown for a conversation near the border.
SUMMARY: In a sleepy, no-stoplight town 25 miles from the Arizona-Mexico border, you'll pass surveillance towers, border agents on patrol and checkpoints. This is life along the border, where security has been ramped up significantly since 9/11, sweeping up American citizens in its wake. William Brangham reports.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): President Trump today faced questions from both parties over who will pay for his promised wall on the U.S.- Mexico border.
He's already pledged to hire thousands of new immigration agents, whose jurisdiction extends deep (100+ miles) into the U.S. itself.
For Americans on the Southern border, interactions with Border Patrol vary. Some see an occasional inconvenience, others a daily torment.
William Brangham has story.
CARLOTTA WRAY, Arivaca Resident: Right now, it looks more like a war zone.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour): Carlotta Wray's commute has changed a lot over the past few years. She lives in Arivaca, a sleepy, no-stoplight town 25 miles from the Arizona-Mexico border. You drive in any direction from here, you will pass surveillance towers and border agents on patrol.
Checkpoints run by Customs and Border Protection, CBP, stop traffic in either direction out of town.
CARLOTTA WRAY:When the checkpoint was only temporary, I thought it wasn't a big deal, until it got serious. They never left.
I am Retired U.S. Navy (22yrs) and a Vietnam Veteran. After my Navy retirement I was in the computer related industry, now retired. In 2000 I was a registered Republican and voted for George W. Bush. Six months of having Bush in the Whitehouse forced me to re-evaluate my political stance. I had always thought of myself as a Moderate Republican, but was a Republican by "default" NOT because of close examination of the GOP. Due to what has happened in America since 2000, I now consider myself a progressive, and registered as a Non-Affiliated voter.
*Anti-First Amendment policies that attempt to turn America into a theocracy by enshrining ANY religious belief as law.
* Any attempt to suppress human or Constitutional rights.
* Any law or policy that supports discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, race/color, gender, sexual orientation, or any law that does NOT support Equal Treatment under the law.
*Any law or policy that attempts to suppress Freedom of the Press or Free Speech.
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