what happens if you apply for adjustment of status

[davdah 0]

A lot of it depends on who stops you, where you're at, and their mood, LOL. They have some amount of discretion for detaining people.

Sorry VJ for the touch of 'Days of our Lives' like drama. But isn't a little excitement good for the board now and again. As Nutmagnet pointed out, a little revelation sometimes provides clarity. I would prefer PM if the OP would respond but I suspect, based on prior experience, it will prove fruitless.

Edited October 31, 2009 by davdah

[HeatDeath 431]

If you are even one day out of status, avoid traveling within a 100-mile zone by either border, especially the border with Mexico. The Customs & Border Protection agents will pounce, and they do NOT have a sense of humor about such matters.

I've been seeing this "100-mile zone/radius" CBP checkpoints? Where did this figure come from? Is there a written document on this? Im assuming there is none because why would CBP warn illegal aliens not to travel within a 100 mile zone near any border because they have checkpoints there?!

The 100 mile figure comes from a Supreme Court decision in 1976 regarding the definition of "the border" for the purposes of CBP jurisdiction.

http://www.aclu.org/privacy/37293res20081022.html

http://www.aclu.org/privacy/spying/areyoul...onfreezone.html

This next article is somewhat less sensational, and appears to have a link to the specific Code of Federal Regulations that establishes 100 miles as the definition of "reasonable distance" within which CBP is allowed to operate checkpoints.

http://www.issuewonk.com/reading.asp?ID=27...46&keyword=

I should point out that the politics displayed on these pages is probably unnecessarily alarmist, which may be offputting to some. But the reality is that CBP operates in excess of 30 permanent, and who-knows-how-many temporary inland checkpoints, at significant distances from the border. Civil libertarians are probably unnecessarily alarmed at the potential for the abuse of American citizens at these checkpoints (though significant abuses have been documented) but that notwithstanding, we, as recent immigrants, many with "in-between" or "pending" immigration status (and accordingly limited documentation), are the legitimate targets of these checkpoints and it is vital that we understand and appreciate the documentation requirements these checkpoints present, and the very real risks we face if we do not meet those requirements.

[TBoneTX 48,246]

...I should point out that the politics displayed on these pages is probably unnecessarily alarmist

Oh?

Civil libertarians are probably unnecessarily alarmed at the potential for the abuse of American citizens at these checkpoints

Oh?

(though significant abuses have been documented)

Si, man, and worthy of far more than a parenthetical phrase.

we, as recent immigrants, many with "in-between" or "pending" immigration status (and accordingly limited documentation), are the legitimate targets of these checkpoints and it is vital that we understand and appreciate the documentation requirements these checkpoints present, and the very real risks we face if we do not meet those requirements.

And, born-and-bred USCs are the illegitimate targets. How is being allowed to pass only after answering "Where are you going?" not just one step from "Your papers, Comrade!"? People need to quit speaking theoretically or hypothetically until it's happened to them. "A conservative (or a civil libertarian) is a liberal who's been mugged."