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Customs agents

A black and white image of Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in front of a yellow tinted U.S. Customs and Border Protection building | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Mo1567 | Wikimedia Commons William Perry | Dreamstime.com

Free Speech

Hasan Piker's CBP Detention Marks Another Trump-Era Attack on Free Speech

"The reason they're doing this is to try to create an environment of fear, to try to get people like myself...to shut the fuck up," said Hasan Piker.

Autumn Billings | 5.15.2025 11:24 AM

Frog embryos | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Midjourney

Immigration

ICE Is Trying To Deport a Harvard Medical School Researcher Over Frog Embryos

An immigration judge found the official document initiating Kseniia Petrova’s deportation to be legally deficient. She remains in detention, unable to further her cancer research.

Autumn Billings | 4.25.2025 10:47 AM

Michigan US state flag with statue of lady justice and judicial scales in dark room. | Mehaniq/Newscom

Fourth Amendment

Border Cops Try To Make an End Run Around Attorney-Client Privilege

Detroit lawyer Amir Makled has confidential client data on his phone. That didn’t stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection from trying to search it.

Matthew Petti | 4.8.2025 5:00 PM

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer screens international passengers arriving at Dulles International Airport on March 13, 2020. | Glenn Fawcett/CBP Photos/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Border Crossings

What To Do If Border Police Ask To Search Your Phone

Know how much the law does—and doesn’t—protect your privacy rights.

Matthew Petti | 4.4.2025 10:06 AM

Break up the Department of Homeland Security into fewer, smaller agencies that are more accountable to pre-9/11 departments. | Lex Villena, Reason

Department of Homeland Security

DHS Just Turned 20. It's Time To Abolish It.

Break it up into fewer, smaller agencies that are more accountable to pre-9/11 departments.

Nick Gillespie and Justin Zuckerman | 3.8.2023 10:34 AM

Hamdi Mohamud and Kevin Byrd in front of the Supreme Court | Illustration: Lex Villena; Steven Frame; Institute for Justice

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Makes It Effectively Impossible To Sue Federal Cops, Smashing a 51-Year-Old Precedent

A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability.

Billy Binion | 6.21.2022 4:37 PM

borderpatrol_1161x653 | Allison Dinner/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Border patrol

Why Does Border Patrol Need the Ability To Delete Messages?

A lawsuit attempts to find out how federal agents are implementing Wickr, a communications service that has an auto-erase function.

Scott Shackford | 4.4.2022 2:15 PM

Serrano-gets-his-truck-back-IJ-cropped | Institute for Justice

Civil Asset Forfeiture

Surveying the Federal Government's Kafkaesque System of Legalized Larceny, the 5th Circuit Sees No Due Process Problem

Gerardo Serrano, whose truck was seized over five forgotten handgun rounds, waited two years for a hearing he never actually got.

Jacob Sullum | 9.17.2020 4:15 PM

rollcallpix128415 | Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Newscom

Police

'Defund the Police' Should Include Federal Cops Too

Federal spending on policing has quadrupled since the 1980s, while state and local spending has increased by about one-third.

Eric Boehm | 6.9.2020 4:45 PM

topicsimmigration | Department of Homeland Security

Immigration

ICE Scam Leads to Student Deportations 

The latest sting went to elaborate lengths to target students themselves instead of illicit pay-to-stay visa mills.

Shikha Dalmia | 3.12.2020 6:00 AM

Ismail Ajjawi | Screenshot via Fox

Immigration

Feds Kick Incoming Harvard Freshman Out of the Country Because of His Friend's Social Media Posts

Authorities questioned Ismael Ajjawi for eight hours at Logan Airport. Then they revoked his student visa.

Robby Soave | 8.29.2019 11:17 AM

Screen Shot 2019-08-27 at 4.00.06 PM | Screenshot, Solidarity Now

Immigration

14-Year-Old Girl Fights Cancer Alone Because Border Officials Won't Let Her Mom Cross the Border

"I want her to come here to take care of me. Because I need her," she said.

Billy Binion | 8.28.2019 12:45 PM

dreamstime_xxl_106423073 | © Larry Gevert | Dreamstime.com

Border patrol

U.S. Citizen Was on the Verge of Self Deporting After Being Detained for Weeks at Squalid Immigration Facility

The young man was finally released from custody this week.

Ben McDonald | 7.26.2019 1:50 PM

ICE (1) | Charles Reed/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Military

His Wife Was Killed in Afghanistan. Then ICE Showed Up To Deport Him.

He's back in the U.S., though he's not out of the woods yet.

Joe Setyon | 4.16.2019 12:45 PM

Large image on homepages | Webb County Sheriff's Office - mugshot

Murder

Texas Border Patrol Agent Confesses to Killing Sex Workers

A 10-year veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Ortiz is also a "serial murderer" say Texas authorities.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 9.17.2018 4:30 PM

Large image on homepages | Benoit Doppagne/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Customs

A School Counselor Says Customs Agents Searched Her Genitals Without Cause

Tameika Lovell says the search violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

Zuri Davis | 8.20.2018 12:30 PM

Large image on homepages | Institute for Justice

Civil Asset Forfeiture

American Brazenly Robbed of $58,100 Life Savings by Federal Agents at Cleveland Airport

Rustem Kazazi was victimized by desperadoes from a gang called "Customs and Border Patrol," but thanks to the Institute for Justice he's fighting back.

Brian Doherty | 5.31.2018 7:50 PM

Large image on homepages

Customs agents

Customs Agents Steal Money a Nurse Saved to Build a Medical Clinic in Nigeria

CBP won't return the cash unless the owner signs an illegal waiver.

Jacob Sullum | 5.9.2018 2:30 PM

Large image on homepages

Customs agents

Feds Fine a Woman $500 for Saving a Free Airline Snack

The apple was wrapped in a plastic bag with Delta's logo on it. Customs still fined her $500.

Kayla Stetzel | 5.1.2018 2:01 PM

Large image on homepages | Florida Immigrants Coalition

Immigration

Suspicionless Immigration Bus Sweep Caught on Video

If you hear "papers, please" on a Greyhound, thank the Supreme Court.

Alec Ward | 1.22.2018 4:40 PM

Large image on homepages | Stashlogix/Vimeo

Marijuana

U.S. Customs Seizes Combination Locked Travel Bags as Drug Paraphernalia

The reason given was that too many people were finding them a useful means of keeping weed away from their kids.

Christian Britschgi | 6.12.2017 10:05 AM

Large image on homepages | Joanna Andreasson

Border zone

Do You Live in a Border Zone?

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.9.2017 6:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Aprescindere / Dreamstime.com

Twitter

Border Agents Misuse Customs Regs to Try to Unmask 'Rogue' Twitter Account (Update: Attempt Withdrawn!)

This week in 'Privacy for me but not for thee.'

Scott Shackford | 4.7.2017 12:20 PM

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