Visit from CBP at my hangar

[bahama flier]

In the last ten years, I have flown to the Bahamas over 80 times, no surprise CBP wanted to look at me. I usually fly VFR, so my take off time can be various over two hours from flight plan schedule.

I took a boat over to the Bahamas and wanted my flight instructor to come get me in my plane. He filed IFR, lift off was time certain.

As My friend warmed up my plane, and starting to taxi, he was surrounded by THREE marked CBP cars, and six armed CBP Officers.

My friend was ordered to stop, turn off motor, empty the entire plane of everything except gas, log books were searched, maps checked, and pages searched to see if any contraband was in the pages of maps and books.

Having found nothing, the Pilot was ordered to unlock the hangar and it was searched, tool boxes, desk, parts on the shelf and anything that was within the confines of the hangar. If your hangar is on airport property no search warrant is needed to look at anything and everything you have on it including your vehicles. (that's what CBP said)

The Pilot was searched and his fly buddy, and the money in their wallet was counted, but he was not strip searched but it was mentioned.

I don't know what prompted the search, but I go to extremes to me 100% legal as I can, because Big Brother is watching, and you never know when it will happen even in the Bahamas.

 

[Jim Logajan]

Can you point me to the law that got this guy off? I live in California and have a class A commercial driver's license. I had read in my test prep many years ago, that a white posted sign was mandatory with citation possible for violation. The no U turn signs are white. I take that to mean- No U Turn, meaning that if you go ahead and make the turn anyhow, it is illegal.

What does this mean for all the other signs? Are they just suggestions too? I thought yellow signs were advisory, but are you suggesting they all are?

I am confused.

I suspect what he is saying is that if it isn't prohibited in the text of the California Vehicle Code then you can't be cited regardless of what a No U Turn road sign might say. According to the Nolo article linked below, nothing in the code says U turns are prohibited where signs claim it is prohibited. But it does say, via 21651, that markings on the road show where such turns are prohibited. Likely "No U Turn" signs would be posted only to alert drivers that one of the conditions mentioned in the vehicle code prohibits the turn - the sign itself cannot on its own prohibit the turn. What California vehicle code would such a citation reference as being violated? (Presumably one that effectively says "A person may not do X where a sign says you can't.")

http://www.all-about-car-accidents.com/resources/auto-accident/state-car-accident-law/illegal-u-turn-laws-california

Note: Nolo's own comment "Obviously, if there is a visible sign that prohibits a U-turn in an opening, you may not make a U-turn there," isn't supported by the vehicle code they cite, so it isn't that obvious or necessarily correct. To be rigorously accurate they need to cite the vehicle code that says such signage must be followed - but they failed to do that.

 

[Jim Logajan]

ACLU Know Your Rights with the Border Patrol:
http://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/documents/ACLU Border Rights ENGLISH.pdf

Interesting video showing how some people have handled the Border Patrol and article "Border Patrol Takes "No" for an Answer at Internal Checkpoints":
http://www.texasobserver.org/border-patrol-takes-no-for-an-answer-at-internal-checkpoints/