An activist group says that the United States has expanded border checkpoints deeper into the nation than the Constitution permits — but government officials say they’re acting within the limits of the law as defined by the federal court system.

The American Civil Liberties Union is highlighting what it refers to as “Constitution-free zones” in America that extend 100 miles inside U.S. borders and encompass nearly two-thirds of the nation’s citizens, reports Wired News.

The checkpoints are protected under the Fourth Amendment, which give border authorities search-and-seizure rights — yet according to ACLU spokeswoman Caroline Fredrickson, extending those powers into U.S. territory is “a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries — in this case, literally.”

Federal authorities, however, say the ACLU they are following Supreme Court guidelines.

Since 9/11, the government has allowed the Department of Homeland Security to set up more than 30 new internal checkpoints where they can ask people for their papers without telling them why.

–Julia Hengst/Newsdesk.org

Source:

“ACLU Assails 100-Mile Border Zone as ‘Constitution-Free’ – Update”
Wired News, October 22, 2008