Thirteen people were arrested at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint on Interstate 93 in the middle of New Hampshire on Memorial Day, authorities confirmed.
They were taken into custody at an immigration checkpoint on I-93 in Woodstock for immigration law violations, a Border Patrol spokesperson said.
The identities of those arrest, their countries of origin and their specific charges were not released.
Border Patrol spokesperson Stephanie Malin said U.S. law allows agents to set up "critical" checkpoints away from the border to interrogate, arrest and collect evidence.
Border Patrol "is committed to the fair, impartial and respectful treatment of all members of the trade and traveling public, and policy prohibits the consideration of race or ethnicity in law enforcement, investigation, and screening activities, in all but the most exceptional circumstances," Malin said in a statement.
The Union Leader reports that 16 arrests made by police and Border Patrol agents last summer in Woodstock were unconstitutional.
Plymouth District Court Judge Thomas Rappa reportedly said the searches against those arrested were done in violation of the New Hampshire Constitution. Those searches yielded mostly possession of small amounts of marijuana.
