An Amtrak train stopped at the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center in Syracuse, New York, was boarded by a pair of US Border Patrol agents on February 1, as passengers were asked to confirm their status as US citizens.
This video, posted to Twitter, shows agents making their way through a car of the train and asking random passengers if they were “a citizen of the United States.”
The uploader, who asked to be identified as Corey EL, told Storyful only about 4 passengers – including themselves – had been questioned, describing at least one of the agent’s behavior as “menacing and intimidating.” The other officer was described as being polite.
According to Corey, most of the other passengers were some combination of “puzzled” and “unbothered,” while one passenger was described as “practically applauding” the officers.
The video drew mixed reactions from Corey’s followers on Twitter, with many calling the act “Un-American.” According to a post by the ACLU, US Border Patrol agents operate within 100 miles of any US border or coastline, which includes Syracuse.
At the time of writing, the video had over 1,200 retweets and over 150 thousand views. Credit: Corey EL via Storyful
