Published by the New York Review of Books on March 23, 2024.
“An unrealized proposal for a Border Patrol installation in Arizona reveals the tension between restricting immigration and freeing trade”
Checkpoint Dreams
Tag: Border Patrol
Border Security: Border Patrol’s Missing Migrant Program
Published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on March 20, 2024.
Finds that by including data limitations in its reports, Border Patrol could provide context for Congress and the public to better understand data on migrant deaths. (Link at gao.gov)
Ohio, We Have A Problem: Border Patrol and Local Law Enforcement’s Patterns and Tactics of Abuse in Ohio’s Immigration Enforcement
Local law enforcement agencies like the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) often work in concert with USBP agents in constructing a dragnet that serves as a force multiplier for USBP to funnel immigrants—most of whom have no criminal history—into deportation proceedings.
Results of July 2023 Unannounced Inspections of CBP Holding Facilities in the Rio Grande Valley Area
Published by the DHS Office of Inspector-General on March 15, 2024.
Found that detainees in the Donna and Ursula Centralized Processing Centers were held in custody longer than 72 hours
In Eagle Pass, a tense border standoff between Texas and the federal government is reaching a crescendo
Published by the Texas Tribune on January 22, 2024.
A detailed narrative of the high-profile dispute between Texas state and U.S. federal border forces in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Crisis at the Border: Reports from the Frontline
Excerpts from interviews with Border Patrol sector chiefs. (Link at oversight.house.gov)
Migrant Apprehensions per Border Patrol Agent per Year, U.S.-Mexico Border
Last updated September 4, 2023. Download a PDF packet of infographics at bit.ly/wola_border_infographics.
Border Patrol Personnel at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Last updated September 4, 2023. Download a PDF packet of infographics at bit.ly/wola_border_infographics.
FY 2023 Construction and Facility Improvements
Published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on August 11, 2023.
A congressionally mandated update about improvements to Border Patrol facilities. (Link at dhs.gov)
U.S. Border Patrol Specialty Units Fiscal Year 2022 Report to Congress
Published by Customs and Border Protection on November 14, 2022.
Describes units like the Special Operations Group, BORSTAR, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, Mobile Response Team, and others. (Link at dhs.gov)
Southwest Border: Challenges and Efforts Implementing New Processes for Noncitizen Families
Published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on October 17, 2022.
Examines Border Patrol’s rapid releases of asylum seekers without initiating immigration proceedings. 75 percent of those released did report to ICE offices. (Original link)
Arizona Border Patrol Sectors’ Practice of Forcing Migrants to Relinquish Their Personal Belongings During Processing
Published by several organizations on October 3, 2022.
Finds that, particularly in Border Patrol’s Yuma sector, “CBP is failing to comply with its own internal operating guidelines and unreasonably confiscating the personal property of individuals in its custody.”
Del Rio Area Struggled With Prolonged Detention, Consistent Compliance With Cbp’s Teds Standards, and Data Integrity
Published by the DHS Office of Inspector-General on September 29, 2022.
Among findings: “Border Patrol held 1,164 detainees in custody in four facilities longer than specified in the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS), which generally limit detention in these facilities to 72 hours.” (Original link)
U.S. Border Patrol Screened Migrants at the Southwest Border but Could Strengthen Processes
Published by the DHS Office of Inspector-General on September 19, 2022.
“We found that Border Patrol did not issue A-numbers for 107 of 384 migrants, most of whom were paroled into the country or issued Notices to Report.” (Original link)
New information that raises the stakes on the investigation of Border Patrol Critical Incident Teams (BPCITs) and implicates other parts of CBP
Published by the Southern Border Communities Coalition on August 11, 2022.
A letter to congressional committee chairs about further activities of Border Patrol’s controversial Critical Incident Teams, which are to be abolished at the end of September 2022.
Yuma Border Patrol Sector’s Practice of Confiscating Sikh Individuals’ Turbans During Asylum Processing
Published by ACLU of Arizona on August 1, 2022.
Finds that Border Patrol agents in Yuma had confiscated at least 64 turbans from asylum seekers of the Sikh faith so far in 2022, including at least 50 in the previous 2 months.
2022-2026 U.S. Border Patrol Strategy
Published by CBP on June 29, 2022.
Lays out the agency’s plans to “Continually learn, evolve, and mature to ensure excellence in protecting the homeland with professionalism while maintaining public trust.” (Link at cbp.gov)
I was a border patrol agent. The experience was horrifying
Published by the Guardian on June 14, 2022.
Former Border Patrol agent Jenn Budd, author of Against the Wall, writes about her harrowing experience in the agency and about the 2010 killing of migrant Anastasio Hernández-Rojas.
Egbert v. Boule decision
Published by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 8, 2022.
In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 8 that a U.S. citizen could not sue a Border Patrol agent who assaulted him. (Link at supremecourt.gov)
Border Patrol: Actions Needed to Improve Checkpoint Oversight and Data
Published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on June 6, 2022.
An oversight report finds that Border Patrol’s data on checkpoint drug seizures is reliable, but that the agency keeps poor records on “other checkpoint activity data, including on apprehensions of smuggled people and canine assists with drug seizures.” (Link at gao.gov)
Yuma Sector Border Patrol Struggled to Meet TEDS Standards for Single Adult Men but Generally Met TEDS Standards for Other Populations
Published by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector-General on April 14, 2022.
Unannounced September 2021 visits to three facilities in Yuma found Border Patrol generally meeting national standards on transport, escort, detention, and search for all populations except single adult men, who were held in crowded conditions and high temperatures. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
Alleged Abuse of Unaccompanied Minors in Customs and Border Protection Custody
Published by the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law on April 11, 2022.
A series of legal complaints details cases of physical and verbal abuse of children in CBP custody.
The State of Human Rights at the U.S. – Mexico Border
Published by the Border Network for Human Rights on February 22, 2022.
The latest of a series of “abuse documentation” reports with troubling findings about the behavior of some U.S. border law enforcement personnel in the El Paso sector, especially CBP officers working at ports of entry.
CBP Border Patrol Stations and Ports of Entry in Southern California Generally Met TEDS Standards
Published by the DHS Office of Inspector-General on February 7, 2022.
A report on August 2021 inspections of CBP and Border Patrol facilities in the San Diego sector. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
Rio Grande Valley Area Border Patrol Struggles with High Volumes of Detainees and Cases of Prolonged Detention but Has Taken Consistent Measures to Improve Conditions in Facilities
Published by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector-General on January 27, 2022.
A report on a July 2021 visit to holding facilities of Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector in South Texas. (link at oig.dhs.gov)