CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN DIEGO : U.S. Seeks Dual Role for Border Checks

Federal officials are seeking court authority to use two major U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in Southern California for the “dual purpose” of immigration and drug checks, a government prosecutor said. The proposal, which critics see as a significant expansion of the traditional immigration-law role of the checkpoints, has drawn fire from civil libertarians and others concerned about a violation of 4th Amendment safeguards against unreasonable searches and seizures. Critics say the “dual purpose” designation, if authorized, could have far-reaching implications at immigration checkpoints throughout the U.S.-Mexico border area, and, possibly, at law enforcement checkpoints elsewhere in the United States. But Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick K. O’Toole argued that the “dual purpose” designation is necessary to combat the ever-expanding volume of drug traffic from Mexico through San Diego County.