00:00How's it going? How are you? Lower your window. Lower your window.
00:09Lower your window. In New Mexico, that is Robert Trudell.
00:14He is at a border patrol checkpoint on US 70 and knows his rights.
00:18Know what? Lower your window.
00:25The agent escalates and blocks the vehicle.
00:28Stop sticks. Lower your window. Why not? It's an immigration inspection.
00:37Hello everybody, David Schuster here. Unbeknownst to the immigration inspection agent,
00:42Robert Trudell is a citizen journalist. He records his interactions,
00:46including with law enforcement and publishes the video on his YouTube channel.
00:52It's an immigration inspection, sir. Lower your window.
00:58Federal law grants border patrol agents the authority to question people about immigration
01:03status. But the law does not mandate lowering a window. And the Fifth Amendment right against
01:09self-incrimination still applies. Meaning that all of us have a right to stay silent
01:15and not answer questions.
01:24No, just somebody else. Where's he from? Arizona.
01:30In this case, with Trudell's car blocking an inspection lane,
01:33an agent moves a border patrol vehicle. So other drivers behind Trudell can get passed.
01:39Do you ever keep on the car? Do you ever keep on the car? No.
01:52Do you ever keep on the car? Do you ever keep on the car? Do you ever keep on the car?
02:03Hey, you're probably going to have to do more than that.
02:05Do you ever keep on the car? Do you ever keep on the car? Do you ever keep on the car?
02:15Sorry about that, man.
02:16No, you're good.
02:27As the customs agent with the hat stands bewildered,
02:31a supervisor takes photographs of Trudell.
02:50It could be as easy as that. But I don't know what. Talk to me.
03:01You need to talk to me, man.
03:08As more vehicles pass by and are waved through, the questions keep coming.
03:14Are you okay? Do I need to call an ambulance for you?
03:20Sir?
03:20Are you in some type of physical distress?
03:37You're just doing this for fun?
03:48Yeah, no one agrees.
04:10It'll be so much easier if you talk to me, man.
04:12I know you can hear me.
04:28How long are we going to stay here, man?
04:54Judell doesn't respond.
04:55He just remains quiet and calm.
04:58The agents eventually realize that Trudell is filming them and that he's a constitutional
05:09auditor of sorts.
05:11He's got multiple texts, we're doing this pushing.
05:19The supervisor through a license plate check and facial recognition data gets Trudell's
05:24identity and confirmation that he is a U.S. citizen.
05:28The supervisor then instructs the agents to do a visual inspection from outside Trudell's
05:33car.
05:34He's looking for it.
05:36Good man!
05:39Then the agents pick up the stop sticks.
06:07We find you on the system, you're a United States citizen.
06:12Have a good day, sir.
06:13Bye.
06:15We can move on.
06:16You have a good one.
06:17Be safe on the road.
06:20Udell then drove away from the checkpoint without further incident.
06:26This entire interaction lasted about 10 minutes.
06:30While the Immigration and Customs Agency seemed perplexed and a bit confused, the good news
06:35is that they did not trample on Trudeau's constitutional rights.
06:39The agents didn't pull him out of his vehicle, taser him or take the sort of violent action
06:44that countless other law enforcement officers have engaged in when confronted with similar
06:49assertions of constitutional rights.
06:51To be fair, Trudeau likely benefited from being white and having a name that doesn't even sound
06:57Latino.
06:58The Trump administration has now asked the US Supreme Court to rule that skin color or
07:02Hispanic names qualify as probable cause for searches and arrest.
07:07That's also known as racial profiling, which the courts have long ruled against.
07:12But in the meantime, kudos to Robert Trudeau for his stoicism and determination.
07:18He underscored how informed citizens can assert their rights to limit law enforcement overreach.
07:25By the way, ICE agents in Los Angeles recently arrested and assaulted a US citizen and are
07:30now gonna pay for it.
07:32Get off her head.
07:33Get off me.
07:34Get off me.
07:35Get off me.
07:36Get off me.
07:37Get it off.
07:38Get back, get back, get back.
07:39Get off her head.
07:40Get off me.
07:41In Los Angeles, that is Amanda Trebach, a nurse and US citizen who was observing ICE agents
07:47near their staging area.
07:48Get off me.
07:49Get off me.
07:50Get off me.
07:51Get off me.
07:52Get off me.
07:53Get off me.
07:54Get off me.
07:55Get off me.
07:56Get off me.
07:57Get off me.
07:58Get off me.
07:59Get off me.
08:00I need to be 10 feet, so.
08:01You guys get her in the van?
08:02Sir?
08:03You okay?
08:04Yeah, my keys are in there.
08:05Okay.
08:06Get back.
08:07Get back.
08:08I need to get 10 feet away from that.
08:09It is 10 feet.
08:10You were brown, man.
08:11You should be ashamed of your mother house.
08:15Check out that video at the link below.
08:17It generated a lot of comments on YouTube.
08:19One of the most pop was from Linda who wrote, ICE's budget is going to be consumed by paying
08:24out lawsuits.
08:26Indeed.
08:27I look forward to reading your comments about customs checkpoint officers in New Mexico
08:32who clearly regretted stopping an informed citizen.
08:37I'm David Schuster.
08:39Thanks for joining us.
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