It will be interesting to see if this becomes an issue in the California recall/race. It's certainly repugnant.

AP Wire | 08/20/2003 | Top Border Official Defends Broad Powers: " The head of Customs and Border Protection has restored the authority of Southern California Border Patrol agents to question people on city streets and workplaces about their immigration status.

That authority had been limited by an Aug. 8 directive from William Veal, chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector. It told agents of a 'long-standing agency policy' preventing them from conducting sweeps in residential areas and workplaces.

In a telephone interview from Washington, Robert Bonner, a Customs veteran who took over the Border Patrol when the Department of Homeland Security was created in March, said he had done away with Veal's directive. He said the policy was 'overly broad and limited the activities of Border Patrol agents.'"