CBP is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with suspicious travel patterns
2 days ago
- #border security
- #civil liberties
- #surveillance
- The U.S. Border Patrol is secretly monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide to identify and detain individuals with 'suspicious' travel patterns.
- A predictive intelligence program uses hidden cameras and algorithms to flag vehicles based on travel routes, leading to stops, searches, and arrests.
- Border Patrol's surveillance extends beyond borders, monitoring daily activities of ordinary Americans, raising constitutional and privacy concerns.
- Collaborations with other agencies and private companies have expanded Border Patrol's access to license plate reader data nationwide.
- The program has led to numerous unjust stops and searches, with drivers often unaware they were flagged due to surveillance.
- Border Patrol's parent agency, CBP, is transforming into a domestic intelligence operation with significant funding for surveillance technologies.
- Legal challenges question the constitutionality of mass surveillance under the Fourth Amendment.
- Cases reviewed reveal aggressive questioning, searches, and arrests based on vague suspicions, often without finding contraband.
- The program's expansion includes funding local law enforcement to install license plate readers, further extending surveillance reach.
- Critics argue the surveillance does not enhance community safety and infringes on civil liberties.