According to current federal law, border patrol agents currently have the authority to stop and conduct searches on vessels, trains, aircraft, or other vehicles anywhere within “a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States.” This “reasonable distance” is defined as 100 miles from any border, including coastal boundaries.
In this 100-mile zone, the US Border Patrol has claimed certain extra-constitutional powers, such as claiming the authority to operate inland immigration checkpoints.
In practice, Border Patrol agents routinely ignore or misunderstand the limits of their legal authority, violating the constitutional rights of innocent people. Although the 100-mile border zone is not literally "Constitution-free," it is frequently treated as such by the Border Patrol.
As a result, two-thirds of the U.S. population, or approximately 200 million people, are potentially subject to detention and warrantless searches by Border Patrol agents.
This film documents the story of Pastor Steven Anderson being beaten, tasered, and jailed for refusing a warrantless search of his vehicle. The film also covers his trial and subsequent border patrol encounters.