(The following appeared on the New York Sun website on April 3.)
NEW YORK — It’s becoming harder to travel for many illegal immigrants these days as the federal government cracks down on identification requirements for boarding airlines and appears to be increasing the number of Border Patrol sweeps on long distance trains and buses.
Yesterday, immigrant advocates protested the sweeps that have made travel by land risky for illegal immigrants who travel on Amtrak or Greyhound within 100 miles of the border.
At a protest at Penn Station yesterday, organizers from Families for Freedom and other pro-immigrant groups also criticized the companies for not warning passengers that they could be deported if they board buses and trains inside the country.
Amtrak said the practice of allowing immigrant officials to raid trains is legal, however, and that it will continue to do so.