Within the first week of March, over twenty people were taken into custody as they left ferries in Anacortes for being in the country illegal. Councilman Alan Lichter and Howard Rosenfeld expressed concern that “members of our community have disappeared.”

Next Tuesday at 11:15, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Joseph W. Giuliano will sit down in open session with the County Council to answer questions, and explain how, and why, the Blaine Border Patrol Sector of Customs and Border Protection is conducting spot checks of ferry passengers and drivers when they arrive in Anacortes.
http://www.islandguardian.com/archives/00001867.html

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to several of the points in the letter written by Mr. Hazelton in reference to the illegal immigrant problem and the attempts made to deal with this by customs checks of the ferries.

You speak of these people as rules breakers and of the importance of catching people who break rules. If we were dealing with only a few hundred or even a few thousand people I would tend to agree with this point. Laws need to be respected, rules followed in general for a civil society to function. But if statistics are to be believed we are talking about 11 million illegal immigrants in this country so this is not a case of a few delinquents or disaffected individuals. When you are dealing with this kind of numbers you are dealing with something that is a social and economic movement. And whether or not you and I want to see this as a moral or ethical issue, in reality it is a practical issue. No matter how much anyone may want to we are not going to round up and march back across any border 11 million people. It just plain isn’t practical.
http://www.islandguardian.com/letters_editor/archives/00000260.htm

I agree; this is not an immigration issue.  This is a Bill of Rights issue.  The fourth amendment states that authorities must have probable cause which must be obtained from a judge to obtain a warrant for search and seizure.

The fourth amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Exceptions at the border:
Border Search Exception
Main article: Border search exception
Searches conducted at the United States border or the equivalent of the border (such as an international airport) may be conducted without a warrant or probable cause subject to the "border-search" exception. see United States v. Flores-Montano, 541 U.S. 149 (2004)); United States v. Montoya de Hernandez, 473 U.S. 531 (1985); United States v. Ramsey, 431 U.S. 606 (1977). Most border searches may be conducted entirely at random, without any level of suspicion, pursuant to Customs' plenary search authority. However, searches that intrude upon traveler's personal dignity and privacy interests, including strip and body cavity searches must be supported by 'reasonable suspicion.' See Flores-Montano, 541 U.S. at 152-53. One issue currently pending before federal courts is whether the search of the information on a traveler's electronic materials, including personal files on a laptop computer, may be searched at random, without suspicion. Compare, United States v. Ickes, 393 F.3d 501 (4th Cir. 2005)(a laptop's information is cargo within the meaning of customs statutes) with United States v. Arnold, 454 F. Supp. 2d 999, 1003-04 (N.D. Cal. 2006)(a laptops search requires suspicion because it is highly intrusive), appeal docketed, No. 06-50581 (9th Cir. June 13, 2007).

Of course all of this civil rights stuff is irrelevant now that we have terrorism.  After the "Patriot Act" we are much safer because authorities can spy on everyone at any time and lock all the bad guys up at Guantánamo.  Everything is just fine.

After hearing from citizens, local elected officials and media about the Border Patrol checkpoints at the Anacortes ferry terminal, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D. 40th Dist.) has asked for a briefing from Chief David Aguilar.
http://www.sanjuanislander.com/

To the Editor

I want to thank the lady that called me about the Border Patrol spots checks at the Anacortes ferry terminal, and very nicely advised me to “get used to it”. The more I learn about this issue the more that is becoming my catch phrase.

I had a meeting on the mainland last week with Agent Giuliano. He offered to come here for more town meetings. The County might schedule him on Orcas, May 6, and the Town Council is thinking about holding one. My main concern was the possible effect of the spot checks on our economy. First of all, the spot checks are not going to go away. “Ever”, according to Giuliano. They’re going to become less frequent, but there will always be periodic checks. I brought up the disruption to WSF operations. He said this subject would be discussed soon at a meeting with WSF and other state and federal officials.
Full story here...

SARA JEAN GREEN The Seattle Times

FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. — The people of the San Juan Islands tend to be independent sorts, espousing a do-it-yourself, leave-me-be ethos as natural and ever-present as the tide.

But for many of the 17,000 people of this island county, the normal rhythms of small-town life have hit a dissonant chord lately.

A couple of months ago, the U.S. Border Patrol began occasional "spot checks" of every vehicle and passenger arriving in Anacortes off state ferries, the lifeline between these islands and the mainland.

For some here, it seems like a good idea or, at worst, a minor inconvenience. But for a vocal and active faction, the federal agents' aggressive questioning and demands for identification have spurred outrage.

In the islands' coffee shops and the editorial pages of the local paper, then in a crowded, heated meeting last month, a number of people have complained that islanders are being unfairly treated and questioned, even though they haven't left the country and normally wouldn't be subject to such scrutiny.

Terms like "police state" are hurled around, as they say the searches
Full story here...

This is a good strategy; because everyone is too busy watching American Idol and reading about Paris Hilton to care about their fourth amendment rights.  It will be more effective to tell them they might lose some money during the tourist season; that will get their attention.

That sounds like a great idea.  I will e-mail the County Council immediately.  This could double as a great PR stunt!