Documents Released Behind Border Surveillance of Journalists, Attorneys, and Humanitarian Aid Workers
Hundreds of internal emails, memos, and presentations have been made public after NBC 7 San Diego and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) filed a lawsuit against several federal border agencies. A judge has now forced the disclosure of these documents, shedding light on a secret surveillance effort by San Diego border agents targeting journalists, attorneys, and humanitarian aid workers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The surveillance operation, codenamed Operation Secure Line, was launched in response to the arrival of a large caravan of Central American migrants in late 2018 and early 2019. The recently released documents, known as the Secure Line Files, consist of nearly 4,000 pages of records, emails, and weekly reports. They offer insights into the inner workings of Operation Secure Line, revealing how agents tried to identify individuals and organizations involved in leading the caravan, as well as those suspected of inciting violence or aiding migrants attempting to cross the border illegally.
Among the documents is a surveillance list compiled by Secure Line agents during the caravan’s arrival in Tijuana. The list, titled Suspected Organizers, Coordinators, Instigators, and Media, included the names of 10 journalists, three attorneys, and numerous immigration aid workers. The PowerPoint presentation leaked to NBC 7 by a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) showed photos and personal information of 59 individuals being monitored as part of the surveillance effort.
The release of these documents reveals that U.S. citizens appearing on the surveillance list were subjected to increased scrutiny whenever they crossed through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint. They were often subjected to lengthy secondary screenings and interviews, had alerts placed on their passports, and, in some cases, were denied entry to Mexico. An Office of Inspector General (OIG) report later found that CBP had inappropriately requested Mexico to deny entry to at least 14 U.S. citizens on the list, and that CBP agents had failed to comply with proper information-sharing protocols.
The inclusion of journalists on the surveillance list has raised serious concerns among the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Attorney Katie Townsend emphasized the need for public scrutiny and expressed her satisfaction with the release of the records obtained through the ongoing litigation. Townsend believes that further information related to the surveillance effort will likely come to light in the future.
The documents, released on a nearly monthly basis since December 2019, include memos, presentations, reports, and internal emails from various federal agencies such as CBP, HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the International Liaison Unit. The operation’s records primarily came from CBP.
As the litigation continues, the release of these documents marks a significant step toward transparency. However, it is clear that more revelations and insights into the surveillance operation remain to be uncovered.
