Demand Progress

When thousands of asylum seekers showed up to the U.S.-Mexico border in caravans, did the Department of Homeland Security do anything to assist those families? Not even a little bit. Instead, local news reporters found out that Homeland Security spied on journalists and others, and kept a secret database for ICE and CBP.¹

Homeland Security has gone too far. Sign the petition: Tell Homeland Security to stop spying on journalists, legal advocates, and activists at the border.

Lawyers, legal advocates, and activists were hoping to assist migrants with asylum cases and navigate the process, while journalists on the ground were merely trying to report the news. They were all targeted by our federal government.

Homeland Security keep secret, detailed records on innocent Americans citizens, including the specific make and models of their vehicles and information on their immediate family members.² No one was even suspected of any wrongdoing. Their only action was attempting to shed light on Trump’s human rights disaster at the border.

Since Trump took office Homeland Security has repeatedly stepped over the line of respecting our basic privacy and civil liberties. When protesters demonstrated against Trump’s inauguration, they demanded access to the IP addresses of 1.3 million people who may have visited a Trump-resistance website.

Now, they’re targeting journalists for reporting the news, and activists for advocating for human rights.

Enough is enough. Homeland Security needs to be brought to heel immediately. Tell Homeland Security: stop spying on journalists and legal advocates.

Sources:
1. NBC San Diego, “Source: Leaked Documents Show the U.S. Government Tracking Journalists and Immigration Advocates Through a Secret Database,” March 6, 2019.
2. New York Times, “U.S. Tracked Activists and Journalists as Migrant Caravans Headed to the Border,” March 7, 2019.