NPS vs Diplomatic Immunity

[guest]

So how far do you think the NPS's power really goes?

I am a foreign official currently working a short-term assignment for the ambassador of my country to the United States. While stationed here in the US, I have diplomatic immunity from most of your laws.

As a result, I am almost tempted to take a brief day trip out to Yosemite, have a nice picnic lunch at the top of El Cap, then casually step off in the middle of the afternoon. If, or more likely when, any park rangers confront me, I'll show them my identification and claim diplomatic immunity. Then sit back and watch their faces, and see what happens!

Any bets on where it would go from there? Any lurking rangers want to tell me what they would do if they were the one who caught me?

See you at the exit point (wherever that may be!)

A Foreigner

[guest]

I won't speculate on the eventual legal outcome, but if you really want to do it, I'll volunteer to ground crew.

And, although I certainly never would have jumped it myself, I bet I could find the exit point for you...

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu

[guest]

TROLL ALERT!

[guest]

When I was doing El Cap (when it was legal of course in the early 80's) one of my German friends also had diplomatic immunity and we had this very same discussion and we concluded that it is not really a very good idea for him to get caught doing a illegal jump off of a cliff in a U.S. national park. There are 3 reasons why we concluded this. One was that the rangers/feds would somehow have him thrown out of the country to never be able to return which would subsequently result in a loss of employment, two they'd probably keep your gear just because, and three I've seen the rangers there do it myself as they seem to not really care much for constitutional rights and protections under the laws of the land, they'll hold you for days and weeks without end without charging or releasing you all without the ability to speak to an attorney, and even if you do get an attorney the local magistrate will support the rangers and your still screwed even with an attorney. I speak from firsthand experience, but hey like Tom says let me know if you need any help and please let me know how it turns out.