U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the U.S. Border Patrol, uses license plate readers to help identify threats and disrupt criminal networks and asserts that such technology use is governed by multi-layered policy frameworks, federal law, and constitutional protections.
November 20, 2025
high
policy
Summarizes the parent agency's stated rationale and governance posture regarding license plate reader use.
The U.S. Border Patrol primarily operates within 100 miles of the U.S. borders but is legally authorized to operate anywhere in the United States.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Clarifies the typical operational zone of the Border Patrol and the agency's broader legal authority.
The U.S. Border Patrol's surveillance efforts draw on license plate reader data from nationwide systems operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, private companies, and local law enforcement programs funded through federal grants.
November 20, 2025
high
operational
Describes the sources of license plate reader data that the Border Patrol may incorporate into its analysis.
The U.S. Border Patrol operates a nationwide predictive intelligence program that collects vehicle license plate data via a network of cameras and uses algorithms that flag vehicles as suspicious based on where they came from, where they are going, and which route they took; flagged vehicles can lead agents to notify local law enforcement and result in stops, searches, and arrests.
November 20, 2025
high
descriptive
Description of how the Border Patrol uses license plate data and algorithmic flagging to identify travel patterns deemed suspicious.
The Border Patrol's license plate reader program aggregates data from multiple sources, including license plate readers run by the Drug Enforcement Administration, private companies, and local law enforcement programs funded through federal grants.
November 20, 2025
high
descriptive
Sources of license plate reader data that feed Border Patrol surveillance systems.
License plate reader devices used in Border Patrol surveillance operations are often physically disguised inside traffic safety equipment such as drums and barrels.
November 20, 2025
high
descriptive
Tactics for concealing the physical presence of license plate readers along roadways.
The Border Patrol began deploying license plate reader-based interior surveillance around 2015 and expanded that surveillance capability further during approximately 2020â2025.
November 20, 2025
medium
temporal
Reported multi-year timeline for the adoption and expansion of interior license plate reader surveillance by the Border Patrol.
The U.S. Border Patrol, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, conducts interior immigration enforcement operations away from the U.S.âMexico border.
November 19, 2025
high
operational
Describes the scope and location of Border Patrol enforcement activities within the United States.
U.S. Border Patrol, as a component of DHS, leads or participates in immigration enforcement operations that involve deploying teams to conduct searches and arrests in U.S. neighborhoods.
November 19, 2025
high
organizational
Describes Border Patrol's operational role within DHS enforcement activities.
The U.S. Border Patrol's historical operational responsibilities have been primarily limited to stopping the illegal movement of people and drugs along the borders with Mexico and Canada and in some coastal regions.
November 19, 2025
high
temporal
Describes the traditional geographic and mission scope of U.S. Border Patrol operations.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have been deployed to conduct interior immigration enforcement operations in multiple U.S. cities, including making arrests in public areas such as parking lots and day-labor gathering spots targeting individuals suspected of being in the United States illegally.
November 19, 2025
high
temporal
Summarizes a pattern of interior deployments and arrest locations used during recent enforcement campaigns.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducts immigration enforcement operations across the United States through components such as the U.S. Border Patrol.
November 18, 2025
high
temporal
Description of federal agency responsibilities
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carry out immigration enforcement activities that can include stopping vehicles, detaining individuals, and making arrests.
November 15, 2025
high
operational
General description of enforcement activities performed by federal immigration agencies.
U.S. Border Patrol conducts interior immigration enforcement operations that can include making arrests in U.S. cities.
November 15, 2025
high
operational
Border Patrol has authority and operational roles beyond border facilities, including interior enforcement activities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are both federal immigration officials with the same legal authority to arrest people suspected of being in the country illegally.
November 14, 2025
high
temporal
Legal authority shared by federal immigration enforcement components.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Border Patrol conduct immigration enforcement operations in U.S. cities, deploying federal agents for urban enforcement activities.
November 13, 2025
high
procedural
Description of federal immigration agencies carrying out enforcement operations beyond border regions.
Gregory Bovino is a senior U.S. Border Patrol official who has been publicly identified with immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles and Chicago.
November 05, 2025
high
personnel
Named Border Patrol official associated with enforcement operations in specific U.S. cities.
El Centro, California is one of nine U.S. Border Patrol sectors that cover the Mexican border.
October 28, 2025
high
organizational
Describes the Border Patrol sector structure along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Uses of force by Border Patrol agents are reported to the agency's internal affairs office.
October 24, 2025
high
procedural
Reporting procedure for agent uses of force mentioned in the article.
Immigration enforcement operations in the United States can be carried out by agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol.
October 22, 2025
high
descriptive
Identifies federal agencies that conduct immigration enforcement actions.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Coast Guard.
October 22, 2025
high
organizational
Describes the organizational relationship among federal agencies responsible for immigration enforcement and maritime security.
U.S. Border Patrol agents, as federal immigration officers, have legal authority to arrest individuals suspected of being in the United States illegally anywhere in the country, and Border Patrol has expanded search powers in areas close to a coastal or land border.
October 22, 2025
high
policy
Summarizes the scope of Border Patrol arrest authority and its enhanced search powers near borders and coastlines.
U.S. Border Patrol organizes operations into geographic sectors (for example, the El Centro Sector) and can encounter individuals at those sectors who may be released into the U.S. interior pending immigration hearings.
October 21, 2025
high
temporal
Description of a durable immigration enforcement and processing practice by U.S. Border Patrol.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol conducts interior immigration enforcement operations and can be assigned to work in major U.S. cities.
October 20, 2025
high
temporal
Organizational scope of Border Patrol responsibilities as demonstrated by assignments in urban areas.
U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conduct deportation operations and raids as components of federal immigration enforcement.
October 16, 2025
high
operational
Both agencies carry out enforcement actions including arrests and deportation-related operations.
U.S. federal immigration enforcement agents, including U.S. Border Patrol, have used crowd-control measures such as tear gas, pepper pellets, and rubber bullets during operations in urban residential neighborhoods.
October 15, 2025
high
procedural
Based on reporting of multiple enforcement incidents in Chicago where federal agents deployed crowd-control weapons during arrests and related confrontations.
Federal law enforcement agencies that have been deployed in response to protests or public-safety incidents in Portland include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
October 06, 2025
high
structural
Names of federal agencies involved in protest- or crowd-control operations in Portland.
U.S. Border Patrol agents recorded nearly 238,000 apprehensions of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in fiscal year 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024âSept. 30, 2025).
September 30, 2025
high
temporal
Preliminary Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol apprehension totals for fiscal year 2025.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 237,565 U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions in Fiscal Year 2025 (October 1, 2024âSeptember 30, 2025), the lowest annual total since Fiscal Year 1970 when apprehensions were 201,780.
September 30, 2025
high
temporal
Annual enforcement totals reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Fiscal Year 2025 Border Patrol apprehension total of 237,565 was approximately 87% lower than the four-fiscal-year average of 1.86 million reported for the four fiscal years immediately preceding FY2025.
September 30, 2025
high
temporal
Comparison of FY2025 annual apprehensions to the recent multi-year average.
Between February 2021 and December 2024, Border Patrol daily average apprehensions along the Southwest border were about 5,110 per day; in September 2025, Border Patrol averaged roughly 279 apprehensions per day along the Southwest border (about 8,300 for the month), a roughly 95% decrease.
September 30, 2025
high
temporal
Reported daily and monthly average apprehension rates for the Southwest border over defined periods.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have worn masks or neck coverings to conceal their identities while performing patrols or conducting raids.
September 23, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a protective practice used by Border Patrol personnel to limit identification during operations.
U.S. Border Patrol, a component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is responsible for detecting and apprehending individuals who unlawfully enter the United States between ports of entry.
November 17, 2024
high
process
Border Patrol conducts patrols and initial apprehensions along the U.S. border outside official ports of entry.
U.S. Border Patrol recorded 2.2 million apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021âSept. 30, 2022).
September 30, 2022
high
temporal
Border Patrol apprehension totals for fiscal year 2022, a record high.
The U.S. Border Patrol's historical enforcement role has been primarily focused on intercepting illicit movement of people and drugs along the borders with Canada and Mexico and in certain coastal sectors.
October 15, 2020
high
temporal
Describes the conventional, pre-existing jurisdictional focus of the U.S. Border Patrol.
During the Trump administration, U.S. Border Patrol agents were deployed to conduct interior immigration enforcement operations in major U.S. cities outside traditional border areas.
October 15, 2020
high
temporal
Describes a policy shift in deployment and operational scope under the Trump administration.
U.S. Border Patrol agents are commonly identified by their green uniforms.
October 15, 2020
high
temporal
Describes a consistent visual identifier for Border Patrol personnel.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conduct enforcement operations that target noncitizens with criminal convictions, including offenses such as drug trafficking, unlawful re-entry, driving under the influence, and violent offenses.
high
general
Typical types of criminal convictions cited in immigration enforcement operations.
Border Patrol 'apprehensions' denote the number of times agents intercepted and processed migrants entering the United States between official ports of entry, and individual migrants can be counted multiple times if they attempt to enter more than once after being turned back to Mexico.
high
definition
Definition of how Border Patrol apprehension statistics are counted.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have historically been tasked with guarding the United States' southern border.
high
general
Describes the traditional mission assignment of the Border Patrol within U.S. immigration enforcement.
The precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver is an authorized law enforcement tactic used to stop or disable a fleeing vehicle during a pursuit.
high
procedural
Describes a common vehicle-stopping technique used by police and federal agents.
A federal government shutdown can halt pay for federal employees and disrupt services provided by troops, air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, and Border Patrol officials.
high
impact
Typical operational and workforce impacts resulting from lapses in federal appropriations.
Operation Midway Blitz is a joint immigration enforcement campaign conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol aimed at apprehending criminal noncitizens and fugitives with prior deportation orders.
high
descriptive
Article describes Operation Midway Blitz as a joint ICE and Border Patrol campaign targeting criminal illegal immigrants and fugitives with prior deportation orders.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) includes component offices such as U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO).
high
organizational
Structure of CBP within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) conducts immigration enforcement operations within the United States.
high
operational
USBP is the CBP component responsible for apprehending and processing persons in violation of U.S. immigration laws between ports of entry.
U.S. Border Patrol may release individuals encountered at or near the southern border into the U.S. interior pending immigration hearings.
high
procedural
Border Patrol encounters do not always result in immediate removal; individuals can be released into the interior while immigration proceedings are pending.
U.S. Border Patrol can release individuals encountered at the U.S. border into the interior of the country pending immigration hearings.
high
procedural
Describes a routine enforcement/processing outcome used by border authorities in immigration cases.
U.S. Border Patrol has historically conducted more indiscriminate enforcement operations, including workplace raids at commercial sites such as Home Depot.
high
temporal
Describes enforcement tactics attributed to U.S. Border Patrol in contrast to targeted arrests.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversees federal immigration enforcement components such as U.S. Border Patrol and can shape enforcement priorities and tactics.
high
descriptive
DHS is the cabinet-level department responsible for coordinating and supervising agencies involved in border and immigration enforcement.
U.S. Border Patrol agents are commonly described as wearing green uniforms.
high
descriptive
Commonly reported identifying characteristic of Border Patrol personnel' attire.
U.S. Border Patrol is a separate federal agency from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
high
organizational
Clarifies that Border Patrol and ICE are distinct federal law enforcement organizations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws within the nation's interior, while U.S. Border Patrol primarily operates along the nation's borders and has the ability to conduct warrantless searches within certain zones.
high
jurisdictional
Summarizes the typical operational jurisdictions and certain authorities of ICE and Border Patrol.
U.S. Border Patrol agents typically wear green uniforms as part of their standard attire.
high
attribute
Uniform color is an identifying feature of Border Patrol personnel.
U.S. Border Patrol operations can employ specialized units such as special operations teams and can include use of armored vehicles when conducting enforcement activities.
high
operational
Border Patrol has operational capabilities that may include tactical teams and armored vehicles for certain enforcement actions.
U.S. Border Patrol has used special operations teams and armored vehicles during interior immigration enforcement operations.
high
tactical
Describes equipment and unit types that have been requested or employed for interior enforcement actions.
Interior immigration enforcement operations in U.S. cities have prompted public protests and accusations that federal agents engaged in racial profiling and excessive use of force, while federal officials have denied those accusations and stated that arrests are based on suspected immigration status and threats to law enforcement.
high
socio-political
Summarizes recurring public and official reactions to large-scale interior immigration enforcement operations.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested suspected unauthorized immigrants at public locations such as parking lots and worksites during interior enforcement operations.
high
operational
Describes common sites and methods for apprehensions during interior enforcement activities.
The U.S. Border Patrol operates a predictive intelligence program that collects license plate reader data and applies algorithms to flag vehicles as suspicious based on factors such as where a vehicle came from, where it is going, and which route it took; flagged vehicles can prompt local law enforcement stops, searches, and arrests.
high
operational
Description of how a vehicleâmonitoring program functions and the downstream law enforcement actions it can trigger.
The U.S. Border Patrol generally operates within a 100âmile zone from U.S. borders but is legally authorized to operate anywhere in the United States.
high
legal
Legal jurisdictional scope relevant to domestic Border Patrol operations.
The Border Patrol's vehicleâmonitoring system incorporates license plate reader data from multiple sources â including Drug Enforcement Administration systems, private companies, and local law enforcement programs funded through federal grants â and deploys cameras that can be disguised in traffic safety equipment like drums, barrels, and traffic cones.
high
technical
Sources of data used in the monitoring system and the methods used to deploy sensors.