Border Patrol Agent O'Neal
Border Patrol Agent O'Neal
Image of Border Patrol Agent O'Neal that has been taken form the video where he questions US Citizens about heir legality.
Agent O'Neal is an American border patrol agent for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He works throughout the state of Montana and other neighboring states surrounding the border with Canada. In May of 2018, he was captured in a video where he questions two women for their legal documentation after he had heard them speak the Spanish language. [1] The women he questioned were of Hispanic background and U.S. citizen. [1]
In The Media
Viral Video
U.S. citizens questioned by Border Patrol in Havre for speaking Spanish (video).
Video of Border Patrol Agent O'Neal in Havre, Montana asking a US Citizen named Ana Suda and her friend.
Some time in May 16th, 2018, Agent O'Neal heard two women communicating in the Spanish language and decided to stop and question them. He and the women were inside of a convenient store in Havre near the Canadian border. The Agent then decided to ask them both for their identification. One of the women, Ana Suda, recognized the kind of situation that she was in and began recording the exchange between her and the Agent. [1]
She asked Agent O'Neal once again the reason they were being asked for their I.D.s and he responds:
“Ma’am, the reason I asked you for your ID is because I came in here, and I saw that you guys are speaking Spanish, which is very unheard of up here."
Suda asked if she and her friend were being profiled and the Agent responded:
“It has nothing to do with that...
It’s the fact that it has to do with you guys speaking Spanish in the store, in a state where it’s predominantly English-speaking.”
Suda and her friend were detained in the parking lot by the agent for nearly 45 minutes.
She was overcome with embarrassment as people would watch them in the parking lot interacting with the Border Patrol wondering what is happening.
Statement Release By Border Patrol
"Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities and are not limited to a specific geography within the United States...
They have the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence."