The government kept a secret list of immigration reporters and activists — and arrested at least 9 of them
Late last year, the U.S. government couldn't stop talking about the thousands of Central American migrants headed through Mexico to the border. But more quietly, it was compiling a list of 59 immigration journalists, activists, and attorneys who worked with or covered the migrant caravan, documents obtained by San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD reveal.
These people would be subject to questioning if they tried to cross the border, and 12 of them actually were, the database shows. Another nine were arrested crossing the border, the Customs and Border Patrol list also details.
President Trump and his administration stoked fears about the caravan, ultimately closing the border at one point. When migrants rushed toward it anyway, American officials hurled tear gas out the crowd, sparking chaos. Those considered "instigators" and "organizers" of that incident were placed on the CBP database obtained by KNSD, along with media members who covered it.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The database also recorded peoples' citizenships and whether they had been arrested or interviewed, or whether their visas had been canceled. A Department of Homeland Security source told KNSD that "agents also created dossiers on each person listed," with one attorney's dossier containing "the car she drives, her mother's name, and her work and travel history."
A CBP spokesperson told KNSD "the names in the database are all people who were present during violence that broke out at the border in November," and said collecting this kind of "evidence" is "protocol." Read more from KNSD or take a look at the documents here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified filesSpeed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DCSpeed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operationsSpeed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rulesSpeed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Actspeed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in VenezuelaSpeed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young RepublicansSpeed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats



