[epchick]

I DID have one problem when I was about 16 years old. This was around the time that my cousin's adoption (my aunt adopted her from the city right across the border--Juarez) wasn't finalized, so we had to cross the border to try and get it finalized. When we were crossing back over (to the U.S. side), we had to go through the "checkpoint" and everything. This was my first time crossing on foot, so I didn't know you had to show anything.

The guy who was directing us through the checkpoint and asked me for my ID. I told him that I had barely turned 16 and didn't have an ID. So he asked me for my birth certificate. I sarcastically told him, "yeah let me pull that out of my back pocket for you" and then i rolled my eyes. Obviously that pissed him off. He told me he was going to detain me, search me and then arrest me. I gave him the WTF look and then told him, "Well sir, since you OBVIOUSLY aren't from the U.S., I'll let you in on this little thing we call our constitution. If you even TRY to search me, that constitutes an 'illegal search and seizure' because 1. You have no warrant to search my person and 2. you have no reason to search me. So, you can go ahead and do all you want, but be sure that i WILL sue your pants off."

OMG, my aunt took a few steps back and acted like she didn't know me. I gave this half-ass smile back to the guy and all he said was "well young lady, if I ever see cross again without any identification, I will detain you, and if I can't verify your citizenship you will be sent back to Mexico."

Now, I've learned not to be a smartass to policemen. Plus, I think everything I told him was wrong anyways! (well according to my government teacher)