Company helping immigrants in detention ordered to pay $811M+ in lawsuit alleging deceptive tactics
A company that provides services for immigrants in federal detention has been ordered to pay more than $811 million in restitution and penalties in a lawsuit alleging it used deceptive and abusive tactics.
Smugglers are bringing migrants to a remote Arizona border crossing, overwhelming US agents
The U.S. Border Patrol says it is overwhelmed by a shift in human smuggling routes, with hundreds of migrants from faraway countries like Senegal, Bangladesh and China being dropped in a remote desert area in Arizona.
Congressional watchdog describes border wall harm, says agencies should work together to ease damage
Congress' official watchdog says in a report that the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds.
The Biden administration guaranteed attorney access for all migrant screenings. Most don’t have it
As the Biden administration prepared to launch speedy asylum screenings at the border this spring, authorities pledged a key difference from a Trump-era version of the policy: Migrants would be guaranteed access to legal representation.
US Border Protection works to keep fentanyl out of the ‘wrong hands’ as overdoses on the rise
Although fentanyl has become a leading drug for overdoses, it is a legal pharmaceutical drug. It’s a synthetic opioid for severe pain and is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fatal boat trip highlights Haitians fleeing violence
Haitians are fleeing in greater numbers to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where they step onto rickety wooden boats as they attempt to reach Puerto Rico — a trip in which 11 Haitian women drowned this week, with dozens of other migrants believed missing.
Investigation of journalists by Customs unit is under review
An internal review has been launched into the actions of a special Customs and Border Protection unit that used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including an Associated Press reporter.
Trust Index: Border Patrol agents on horseback did not use whips when confronting migrants
News4Jax is running a viral social media claim through the Trust Index about U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents allegedly whipping Haitian migrants along the Rio Grande as they tried to get into the United States. The dramatic scene has drawn widespread condemnation from the White House, politicians and the public.
Over 4,000 migrants, many kids, crowded into Texas facility
Migrants are processed at the intake area of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley, in Donna, Texas, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Oscar Escamilla, acting executive officer of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, said 250 to 300 kids enter daily and far fewer leave. Border Patrol agents asked them if they had a contact in the U.S. and allowed the child to call that person. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space. More than 2,000 kids have been at the Donna facility for more than 72 hours, including 39 for more than 15 days.
Biden is on his heels amid a migrant surge at Mexico border
The Biden administration is facing growing questions about why it wasn't more prepared for an influx of migrants at the southern border. Since Biden’s inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. But Isacson added that the bottleneck was also affected by the lack of cooperation by the Trump administration with the Biden transition. AdThe Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. The president and other administration officials in recent days have stepped up efforts to urge migrants not to come.
US govt seizes over 10M phony N95 masks in COVID-19 probe
They have no utility whatsoever,” Homeland Security Secretary Ali Mayorkas said of the fake masks. Homeland Security officials would not say which states the phony masks were sent to, but said criminal charges would be forthcoming. The company delivered some 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic intensified, but in the earlier months, when masks were in short supply, fraudsters took advantage. But phony masks have already made it to front-line workers in other cases. Over the past year there has been more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement resulting in the seizure of millions of fake masks.
Government investigating massive counterfeit N95 mask scam
This December 2020 image provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows a counterfeit N95 surgical mask that was seized by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Federal investigators are probing a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities, and government agencies and expect the number to rise significantly in coming weeks. (ICE via AP)WASHINGTON – Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. Nearly a year into the pandemic, fraud remains a major problem as scammers seek to exploit hospitals and desperate and weary Americans. There have been already more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement that resulted in the seizure of 10 million counterfeit 3M masks alone.
Customs agents from Jacksonville will help with Super Bowl security in Tampa
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Acting as a layer of protection against potential threats at the Super Bowl, Jacksonville U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are in Tampa to help keep fans and players safe. Federal security officials have been preparing for the event at Raymond James Stadium since the 2020 Super bowl in Miami. Command posts have been positioned throughout the city to allow local state and federal agents to communicate with each other. Another aspect of Super Bowl security that might not be as apparent: The efforts to stop human trafficking. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have helped to train airport workers on how recognize the signs of someone being brought into the country as a victim of sex trafficking.
Christmas counterfeits: The top items on your wish list that could be fake
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Could the items on your loved ones’ holiday wish lists be counterfeit? But Customs officers offer a warning. (WJXT)“Some are very good, some are not,” Dilland said, showing the varying quality of the fake items. The haul of knock-offs is just a snippet of shipments Jacksonville officers have seized in the few weeks; it’s an endless supply. Customs officers remind consumers to “purchase goods only from reputable retailers and be wary of third party vendors.
Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at border
Merín gave birth to her daughter next to the Rio Grande, attended to by two Border Patrol agents, showing how lives routinely end up at risk at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mother and child were hospitalized for three days, then processed at a Border Patrol station before being released to Catholic Charities. “There’s so many women in great danger,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol blames smugglers for using people in medical distress as decoys, drawing attention from others trying to sneak into the country. The Border Patrol defends how it treats immigrants and the medical care they receive.
2 detained for speaking Spanish settle border patrol lawsuit
– Two women who were detained in northern Montana by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents for speaking Spanish while shopping at a convenience store have reached an undisclosed monetary settlement in their lawsuit against the agency, the ACLU of Montana announced Tuesday. “Ma’am, the reason I asked you for your ID is because I came in here and I saw that you guys are speaking Spanish, which is very unheard of up here,” O’Neill said in the video. “We stood up to the government because speaking Spanish is not a reason to be racially profile and harassed,” Suda said in a statement provided by the ACLU. In gathering information for the lawsuit, the ACLU said Customs and Border Protection agents in northern Montana acknowledged they routinely profiled non-white people. “If there's somebody speaking Spanish down there it's like all of a sudden you've got five agents swarming in, ‘What’s going on?'
Gloves linked to forced labor in China stopped at LA port
WASHINGTON – A shipment of women’s gloves at a California port has been traced to a factory that uses forced labor of people caught up in a brutal crackdown on ethnic minorities in China, U.S. authorities said Thursday. Overland, a retailer based in Fairfield, Iowa, was seeking to import the gloves and says it has provided proof to Customs that the goods were not made with forced labor and should be released. The administration, which has clashed with China on a range of issues, including trade and the coronavirus outbreak, has also increased enforcement of a U.S. law that bans the importation of goods made with forced labor. Labor and human rights groups say it's impossible to conduct legitimate inspections in Xinjiang because of the oppressive conditions. A bipartisan bill that would declare that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are the product of forced labor, and therefore banned from the country, passed overwhelmingly last month in the House of Representatives.
US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer
The United States will block shipments of palm oil from a major Malaysian producer that feeds into the supply chains of iconic U.S. food and cosmetic brands. “We would also encourage U.S. consumers to ask questions about where their products come from.”Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm oil. Palm oil and its derivatives from FGV, and closely connected Malaysian state-owned Felda, makes its way into the supply chains of major multinationals. They include Nestle, L’Oreal, and Unilever, according to the companies’ most recently published supplier and palm oil mill lists. Under Wednesday’s order, palm oil products or derivatives traceable to FGV will be detained at U.S. ports.
Protesters hit with gas as locals demand feds leave Portland
Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters late Thursday. The actions came just hours after the head of the Department of Homeland Security called the protesters violent anarchists. Federal agents, some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Homeland Security uniforms, used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds late Friday night, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday night she was also suing Homeland Security and the Marshals Service. Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse.
2,000 counterfeit designer face masks seized in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS – More than 2,000 unapproved face masks bearing counterfeit designer logos were seized in New Orleans in June, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A shipment of more than 1,200 face masks bearing counterfeit designer logos was seized in New Orleans on June 9. Another shipment of 990 counterfeit Chanel face masks was seized in Shreveport on June 10. The face masks featured Burberry, Supreme and Gucci logos. “This is another example of the hard work and diligence shown by our CBP officers,” said Terri Edwards, CBP Port of New Orleans Director.
2nd arrest made after Customs & Border Protection trainee killed on St. Simons Island
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A second arrest has been made after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection trainee was shot and killed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday outside Rafters in downtown St. Simons Island, authorities said. The Glynn County Police Department said an altercation began inside the bar on Mallery Street. According to police, the victim, identified as 37-year-old CBP trainee Wolf Valmond, was struck twice and later died of his injuries. Police said Jenkins was arrested and booked into the Glynn County jail on a charge of murder. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts are with Valmond’s family, friends and fellow classmates during this difficult time,” the CBP spokesperson said.
Man arrested after Customs & Border Protection trainee shot, killed outside bar on St. Simons Island
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A man was arrested after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection trainee was shot and killed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday outside Rafters in downtown St. Simons Island, authorities said. The Glynn County Police Department said an altercation began inside the music and pool hall on Mallery Street and then two men then went outside, where the suspect, 27-year-old Calvin Jenkins, got a firearm from a car and began shooting. Police said the victim was shot twice and began running toward Mallery Street and Ocean Boulevard. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts are with Valmond’s family, friends and fellow classmates during this difficult time,” a CBP spokesperson said. Jenkins was arrested and booked into the Glynn County jail on a charge of murder.
Court rules against warrantless searches of phones, laptops
BOSTON, MA – A federal court in Boston has ruled that warrantless U.S. government searches of the phones and laptops of international travelers at airports and other U.S. ports of entry violate the Fourth Amendment. They say border officers must now demonstrate individualized suspicion of contraband before they can search a traveler's electronic device. The number of electronic device searches at U.S. ports of entry has increased significantly, the ACLU said. During that same period of time, it conducted 40,913 border searches of electronic devices, representing less than .01 percent of arriving international travelers. "The court said today that suspicionless searches at the border of cell phones and laptops violate the Fourth Amendment," Rossman said.
Federal agents use counter-narcotics planes to search for missing boaters
CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. - Besides hundreds of volunteers and the Coast Guard, search crews with U.S. Customs and Border Protection are also involved in the search for missing firefighters Brian McCluney and Justin Walker. The team of federal pilots and tactical flight officers worked tirelessly from takeoff at Cecil Field to touchdown. CBP agents from the Jacksonville offices typically fly missions in Central and South America, stopping drug smugglers. Four Jacksonville firefighters volunteered their time as spotters, manning windows on the P-3 Orion aircraft. The directions and search areas come straight from the Coast Guard, which is coordinating the search mission, spanning from Cape Canaveral to Cape Hatteras.
Justice Department appeals court order blocking asylum restrictions
The Trump administration appealed a ruling in California blocking its new asylum restrictions to a federal appeals court Monday. Last week, a federal judge in California late blocked the Trump administration's new asylum rule dramatically limiting the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum if they enter the US by land through Mexico. The Justice Department asked Judge Jon Tigar to decide whether he would stay his order blocking the rule by Friday. "This new rule is likely invalid because it is inconsistent with the existing asylum laws," Tigar wrote in his ruling. The asylum rule immediately faced legal challenges.
AOC Says Detained Migrants Were Told to Drink Toilet Water: Today on Inside Edition
Was AOC right when she said detained migrants are drinking toilet water? U.S. Customs and Border Protection hit back hard after New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the living conditions at migrant detention facilities, accusing her of lying. Terrifying footage captured the moment a little boy feel between a train and the platform in Sydney, Australia. Nike pulled its "Betsy Ross flag" shoes at the last moment after Colin Kaepernick reportedly suggested some might find the Fourth of July design offensive. For more Inside Edition stories, tune in to today's show.