DHS Program Analyzes Americans' Finances to Flag Drivers for Traffic Stops
20 days ago
- DHS allegedly uses U.S. Border Patrol's Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT) to analyze Americans' financial data and share leads with local police, leading to traffic stops even for drivers not flagged for crimes.
- Two PITT units were identified: one in Spokane Sector (Washington-Canada border) and one in Laredo Sector (Texas-Mexico border).
- The program came to light through Kyle Olson's case, where financial activity flagged by a Border Patrol analyst prompted a stop for an obstructed license plate, leading to DUI and drug charges.
- DHS declined to confirm whether warrants are sought or what specific financial records are monitored, raising concerns about probable cause and parallel construction.
- Civil liberties advocates argue the program synthetically generates probable cause and may violate privacy rights, echoing broader scrutiny of DHS data collection including DNA and license plate readers.