International conflict zone reporter Jeff Rainforth was threatened with arrest by a Border Patrol agent while filming illegal crossings at the Lukeville port of entry.
Rainforth, who had been documenting the situation at the Lukeville port of entry for seven weeks, described an incident where he was warned by an agent for “trespassing” on the border road next to the port.
You can be arrested for trespassing but not illegally crossing the border.
“The agent ironically told me I could be arrested for trespassing as about 1000 illegal aliens were lined up against the border wall. They had come through cuts in the wall to the west,” Rainforth wrote on his website, JeffRainforth.com.
“The arrow in the photo below shows where the agent threatened to arrest me. The arrest threat took place about a month before I took the photo below,” he added.
Rainforth shared that he had been walking and filming along the border road for nearly six hours during a live stream on Facebook, during which time no other Border Patrol agents approached him with concerns; instead, they engaged him in conversation.
In a video released by Rainforth, a border agent is heard saying, “You’re going to have to leave the area. You cannot be out here. You can be arrested for trespassing.”
Rainforth countered that the National Parks Service had allowed him to be on the road on foot, a claim the agent denied, asserting that Rainforth could not be there.
Rainforth accused the agent of lying, citing confirmation from a park ranger that the National Parks Service, not Border Patrol, has jurisdiction over the road and that he was within his First Amendment rights to be there.
The video below shows the agent becoming increasingly assertive, even as Rainforth complied and walked away.
WATCH:
A corrupt Border Patrol agent threatened to ARREST me because I was filming on the border road by the Lukeville port of entry. He lied & said I couldn’t be there. A park ranger said I COULD be & that BP has NO control over the road, National Parks does, & that I have 1A rights. I… pic.twitter.com/rmB1L4Jchb
— Just Jeff From Cali (@liberty_clarion) February 15, 2024
According to Rainforth, “One of the insane scenes I saw on the border in Lukeville. BP occasionally had the illegal aliens march from the tent camp to the port of entry on a backroad when there were too many to transport.”
10/29. One of the insane scenes I saw on the border in Lukeville. BP occasionally had the illegal aliens march from the tent camp to the port of entry on a backroad when there were too many to transport. CC: @DustinStockton pic.twitter.com/Nf6qJIjTOX
— Just Jeff From Cali (@liberty_clarion) December 18, 2023
Rainforth also recounted a conversation with a local woman living in Mexico across from Lukeville, who expressed her belief that corruption was rampant among various officials, including the Mexican National Guard, the police, and judges. She trusted only the Mexican National Army.
Drawing from this sentiment, Rainforth speculated that corruption might extend to the U.S. side of the border.
More from JeffRainforth.com:
Out of all the Border agents I met in 7 weeks filming in Lukeville, that agent was the worst and seemed like he didn’t want me to film what was going on. The American people have a right to know what’s happening on the border, though.
When I camped at the port, this is basically what it looked like day and night. I would be woken up sometimes while I slept in my Jeep there.
A crowd of illegal aliens just walked by my Jeep where I camp and work at the now-shut down Lukeville, AZ Port of Entry. About 5-600 crossed through since last night. Border wall was cut near here. Will be at the wall and tent camp later. pic.twitter.com/a0ojJPM9gR
— Just Jeff From Cali (@liberty_clarion) December 4, 2023
All the other agents were pretty cool and gave me awesome info on where to film stuff going down. There was also an angry female CBP agent who threatened to arrest me at the port. We need to vet all agents to weed out the bad ones because the cartels and smuggling groups surely have a grip on some of them.
