They’ve already locked-down parts of Boston, DC, NYC, and LA to some type of martial law (drills and random searches, “papers please,” no passing until you are searched, etc.). So, they’ve got the coasts.
We within 100 miles of the border are impeded and interrogated, dare we go sightseeing or travel for business. I was stopped at four checkpoints one day in TX/NM, and missed reaching my next destination on time (the monument where I was headed closed at 5 pm). Dogs sniffing your vehicle, all privacy invaded, intrusive questions to try to trick you — all in the primary line.
Actually more extensive operations than those you describe have been done in some smaller Southern cities. In Jackson, Mississippi and Helena, Arkansas police at the direction of the mayor closed off certain parts of both cities allowing traffic to enter only on a few arterial streets. At the same time public housing developments were closed to all traffic except through one entrance/exit gate. Police controlled traffic at both types of entrances. In the housing developments ID was required to enter or leave. Those who either had no ID or who did not live in the projects could be detained by police. Police on both areas routinely stopped cars and demanded ID. Was this done by racist white cops back in the 60’s? No, both programs were carried out by black mayors with black police chiefs and heavily black police departments. .It was done in attempts to control drug trafficking and gang violence. Interestingly in Jackson the only real dissent came from a senior patrol commander who was white and had started with the department back at the end of the civil rights struggle. He was told to shut up and carry out his orders or retire.
Some of the videos I saw from the Boston lockdown were frightful. But they got by with it, didn’t they?
I have been through only one state checkpoint in NM, supposedly to check for tags on killed game during hunting season. What is the connection to "public safety" in that, anyone?