The Border Patrol set up a new checkpoint on Arizona Highway 80 near Tombstone a few months ago, which has put many Tombstone residents at ease with their border protection.

“I used to drive through there all the time,” said Trinity Everetts, an over-night stocker at Wal-Mart in Sierra Vista. “I think it’s a good idea, and it keeps our borders safe.”

Many residents say that the new checkpoint is a positive addition to the community.

“It’s not something to worry about— they’re not here to harass us,” said Cherie Quinlin, an employee at the Shady Lady’s Closet. “You get to know the agents, and see them at Circle K. They’re here to look for illegals and drugs.”

Other Tombstone residents say the checkpoint is more of a hassle.

“Why can’t we go where we want to?” said Rick Hall, a former taxi cab driver and employee of the Good Enough Mine Tour. “I used to drive a 15 passenger taxi van, and they always pulled me over.”

Hall said the size of his van along with its heavily tinted windows might have given agents a reason to stop him.

“I’ve seen them pull like 15 to 20 people out of a passenger van,” Everetts said. “I’m not going to say they profile, but I’m not going to say they don’t either.”

A few years ago, Hall and a female friend were stopped in her small truck after coming back from Mexico.

“They took off the tires, went under the hood and took apart the carburetor, undid all the tubing and took off all the rims,” Hall said. “And after they were done, they handed her the keys and said, ‘Here ya go.’ Didn’t even give us tools or nothing.”

Living in southern Arizona for 28 years, Hall has witnessed agents also catch illegal immigrants during traffic stops. 

“See that Freelander,” Hall said. “I’ve seen 40 to 50 illegals come out of something like that going toward Bisbee.”

Some locals, like Hall, have found they are still stopped regardless of their vehicle’s size.

“I felt singled out when they made me pull over to check inside my car,” said Dominique Abou-Zeid, a pre-pharmaceutical student at Pima Community College. “I’m half Lebanese, but I drive a Honda Civic. What could I possibly be hiding?”

From Oct. 1, 2007 to the end of August 2008, officers at checkpoints in the Tucson sector have arrested more than 700 illegal immigrants and seized more than 28,000 pounds of marijuana, said Mike Scioli, a public affairs officer for the Tucson sector. 

Statistics are not gathered for individual checkpoints, so the number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the Highway 80 checkpoint is not specified.

While the checkpoint may help curb illegal immigration, many residents say there is still a problem with illegal immigrants traveling by foot.

Looking out into the desert from the Good Enough Mine, Hall points to a group of hills and washes.

“I probably see people out in the desert hiding behind bushes once every two or three months,” Hall said. “I’ll see 15, 20, 30 people running across the road and ducking behind bushes.”