Owens says some Border Patrol activity "very troubling"

(11/14/11) Last week, the New York Civil Liberties Union and other groups released a report criticizing the US Border Patrol for its activities along the Canadian border. Federal agents regularly stop and questions motorists as well as passengers on trains and buses as far as a hundred miles away from the the nearest border, raising questions about civil liberties.

The Border Patrol declined NCPR's request for an interview, but sent a statement saying that officers are constantly changing their methods in order to "manage risk and mitigate threats." According to the statement, many of the so-called "transportation checks" are based on intelligence, and not random.

Following release of the report, Brian Mann sat down with Congressman Bill Owens. Owens' district includes much of the border, from Lake Champlain in the east to Lake Ontario in the West.