Middle School teacher Shane Parmely apparently tried to make a point at the border checkpoint and was then detained for over an hour all because she refused to say whether she was a U.S. citizen or not.
Parmely's family filmed the entire incident while she argued with border patrol agents and then posted all 6 videos on Facebook.
Parmely told agents that she didn't believe she needed to answer their questions. On agent handed her a card listing all of the immigration law and which included the Supreme Court decision that gives Border Patrol agents authority to ask questions about an individuals citizenship without warrants.
“Citizens?” an agent asked her as she drove up to the checkpoint.
“Are we crossing a border?” Parmely responded.
“No. Are you United States citizens?” he repeated.
“Are we crossing a border?” Parmely repeated. “I’ve never been asked if I’m a citizen before when I’m traveling down the road.”
Parmely insisted to the agent that he could ask her the question, but that she didn't have to answer.
“You are required to answer an immigration question,” the agent said. “You are not required to answer any other questions.”
When Parmely refused to answer the question, the agent told her that she was going to be detained for an immigration inspection.
“So if I just come through and say, ‘Yes, I’m a citizen,’ I can just go ahead?” Parmely asked.
“If the agent is justified by the answer, then yes,” the agent responded.
“So if I have an accent, and I’m brown, can I just say, ‘Yes,’ and go ahead or do I have to prove it?” she asked. “I have a bunch of teacher friends who are sick of their kids being discriminated against.”
“Ok, I’m not discriminating against anybody,” the agent said.