Who polices the rail lines along the Mexican border to prevent people from illegally crossing into the USA using the right-of-way or by hopping the trains? Is it the local police, the border patrol, the railroad police, or some combination? What do the railroad police do with any illegal aliens they catch?
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Sneaking into the USA
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Moderator: Komachi
I believe border patrol and they are deported. RR police probably also plays a part.
The San Diego, Arizona and Eastern does this (zigzags back and forth across the border) between San Diego and Plaster city CA. They must have some kind of sensors, camera's or aircraft for foot traffic along the ROW. I believe the freights to be on a regular schedule so the BP probably has agents near the border when the trains are running for those hopping a ride.
Coming north from Brownsville, TX, UP trains are stopped and inspected by Border Patrol agents with dogs.
When I worked at the New England Central we had one instance that I was involved with when we had to stop our train after receiving it at the Canadian border from the CN
crew. Apparently the US Border Patrol was either tipped off, or observed riders on our train. I don't know how long these riders were detained for, or what the final outcome was. Drugs sneaking into the US is another problem at the US/Canadian border. US Customs would inspect entire trains upon entering the yard; sometimes taking the dogs through. Illegal drugs can be hidden within the carbody of a railcar, and grafitti is sometimes used to indicate where in the car the drugs are stashed.
crew. Apparently the US Border Patrol was either tipped off, or observed riders on our train. I don't know how long these riders were detained for, or what the final outcome was. Drugs sneaking into the US is another problem at the US/Canadian border. US Customs would inspect entire trains upon entering the yard; sometimes taking the dogs through. Illegal drugs can be hidden within the carbody of a railcar, and grafitti is sometimes used to indicate where in the car the drugs are stashed.
Transborder smuggling on the Central Vermont (now New England Central) has been going on for many years.
The Montrealer/Washingtonian passenger trains which operated between those cities were nicknamed the "Bootlegger" because during Prohibition, sleeping car crew members would hide liquor in the
ceiling and wall panels to smuggle it into the U.S. The Bootlegger nickname lasted until at least the advent of Amtrak.
Lee Carlson.
The Montrealer/Washingtonian passenger trains which operated between those cities were nicknamed the "Bootlegger" because during Prohibition, sleeping car crew members would hide liquor in the
ceiling and wall panels to smuggle it into the U.S. The Bootlegger nickname lasted until at least the advent of Amtrak.
Lee Carlson.
I remember watching operations at Ft. Covington, NY a customs agent was never there at the office all day. In general he often came to the office about 10 minuets before the South Bound CN Train arrived they mostly looked at a computer print out checking car numbers with the print out that he had and that's it. Going North Bound CN trains were never check and no Agent was every on site to check the cars going North into Quebec. All this was 13 years ago and I would assume that it's still being run that way.
CN crews only went as far as Massena, NY and CSX would take it the rest of the way the process of crew change between CSX and CN crews was the same for North bound traffic out of Massena as well unless it was a CSX Local.
Some of the Mexican roads do have a guards on freight the trains they most often can be seen sitting on top of the railroad cars like a Covered Hopper or something and they report to the crew if they see people running towered the train on a two way radio.
CN crews only went as far as Massena, NY and CSX would take it the rest of the way the process of crew change between CSX and CN crews was the same for North bound traffic out of Massena as well unless it was a CSX Local.
Some of the Mexican roads do have a guards on freight the trains they most often can be seen sitting on top of the railroad cars like a Covered Hopper or something and they report to the crew if they see people running towered the train on a two way radio.
no matter the weather or the country I'll still be trackside!