Demonstrations unfolded Wednesday at six Arizona border checkpoints, where protesters complained that the Border Patrol has turned their hometowns into intimidating militarized zones, among other border control issues that threaten the quality of their lives.

At the Arivaca checkpoint, about 20 miles outside the town, dozens of protesters stopped traffic for less than a minute in an attempt to shut down the facility, but federal agents quickly herded the group to the roadside.
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“It seems like a war zone all the time,” said Patty Miller, who has lived in the area for 31 years and took up a megaphone to shout out her opinion.

Other protests, organized by independent border town community groups, focused on a variety of concerns. In Bisbee, residents voiced concern about the environmental effect of a border fence. Native Americas of the Tohono O’odham Nation complained the Border Patrol was intruding on tribal land. In Tucson, protesters focused on the shooting death of a 16-year-old Mexican boy by a Border Patrol agent in October 2012.