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.
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
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal agency that oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
November 16, 2025
high
organizational
Describes the organizational relationship between DHS and CBP.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has conducted immigration enforcement operations that have included wide deployment of chemical agents and that have prompted lawsuits and investigations alleging improper use of force.
November 16, 2025
high
operational
Summarizes recurring operational tactics and legal responses reported across multiple enforcement operations.
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. 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.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has stated it does not have authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in operations by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
November 14, 2025
high
legal
Local police department position on enforcement of federal immigration law and involvement in federal immigration operations.
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.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offers a mobile application referred to in the article as the "CBP Home" app.
November 11, 2025
high
temporal
Named CBP mobile application referenced as a channel for accessing CBP information/services.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has authority to inspect international mail and incoming passenger baggage and to seize shipments that contain biological materials suspected to be improperly imported.
November 07, 2025
high
temporal
Describes general CBP inspection and seizure authority for international shipments and baggage.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has authority to detain imported goods suspected to be produced with forced labor as part of enforcing U.S. import restrictions.
November 07, 2025
high
temporal
Customs enforcement mechanism used to block imports suspected of forced labor.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents may wear ballistic vests while on duty.
November 04, 2025
high
operational
Ballistic vests are commonly used as personal protective equipment by uniformed federal law enforcement officers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection policy requires that less-lethal tactics be deemed necessary, documented, and deployed only after de-escalation efforts have failed.
October 24, 2025
high
policy
CBP guidance on use of less-lethal devices and escalation.
The CBP Home mobile application offers noncitizens an option to voluntarily depart the United States in exchange for $1,000 and a plane ticket home.
October 24, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a voluntary-departure option available through a CBP app referenced in the article.
U.S. federal immigration enforcement is carried out by agencies including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and state National Guard units have at times been used to support immigration-related operations.
October 23, 2025
high
process
Common organizational actors involved in federal immigration enforcement and occasional use of state National Guard support.
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.
Federal immigration enforcement operations can involve multiple agencies collaborating, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
October 20, 2025
high
temporal
Composition of multi-agency immigration enforcement operations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released bodyâcamera video in incidents when CBP agents or officers used force.
October 16, 2025
high
policy
Agency practice regarding transparency and use-of-force incidents
Good policing in urban environments relies on de-escalation, trust, and public cooperation, according to Gil Kerlikowske, former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
October 13, 2025
high
temporal
Statement about policing principles in cities attributed to a former federal and municipal law-enforcement official.
Multiple federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, can be assigned to assist with crowd control and security at federal facilities.
October 08, 2025
high
operational
Describes how federal agencies may coordinate to secure federal sites and manage public demonstrations.
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that its Operation Midway Blitz campaign was associated with a 16% drop in murders, a 35% reduction in shootings, and a 20% decrease in transit crime in Chicago after the campaign began in September 2025.
September 10, 2025
medium
statistical
Crime-reduction outcomes attributed by Homeland Security officials to a targeted CBP enforcement campaign in Chicago.
In 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployed personnel to major U.S. metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Washington, D.C. as part of expanded efforts to disrupt smuggling networks and track undocumented migrants.
January 01, 2025
medium
temporal
Pattern of federal immigration-related deployments to U.S. cities described by federal officials.
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. Customs and Border Protection ranked Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) as the best in the United States for shortest overall TSA wait times.
January 01, 2024
medium
descriptive
Federal-agency ranking of airports by overall TSA wait times.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the principal federal agency charged with securing U.S. borders, including customs enforcement and immigration inspections at ports of entry.
March 01, 2003
high
organizational
CBP handles border security activities and inspections at international ports of entry.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) includes agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that conduct federal immigration enforcement activities.
high
organizational
DHS is the federal department responsible for various immigration and border-security functions, carried out by component agencies.
Operation Midway Blitz is an enforcement operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that the Department of Homeland Security describes as aimed at protecting American communities from crime the agencies associate with sanctuary policies.
medium
general
Stated purpose and leading agencies for a named enforcement operation.
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed Border Patrol agents to enforce immigration laws in U.S. cities located far from the southern border.
high
general
Describes a policy/practice of using Border Patrol personnel for immigration enforcement operations beyond border-adjacent areas.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducts primary inspections at ports of entry and can refer vehicles to secondary inspection for closer examination.
high
procedural
Border screening procedure used at U.S. ports of entry for vehicle and traveler inspections.
CBP commonly employs drugâsniffing detection dogs and Xâray imaging technology during secondary inspections to detect concealed narcotics or other contraband in vehicles.
high
technical
Typical tools and methods used by border inspection officers to detect hidden contraband.
When CBP seizes suspected contraband at a port of entry, the agency can impound the item or vehicle and refer the case and any detained individuals to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for criminal investigation.
high
procedural
Interagency procedure for handling suspected smuggling and criminal referrals from border inspections.
The U.S. federal government has deployed federal agents, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, and National Guard troops to conduct immigration enforcement operations in U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago.
high
procedural
Describes a recurring operational practice of using federal law enforcement and military resources for immigration enforcement in U.S. cities.
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.
Airlines can coordinate with federal agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Aviation Administration to provide meals or other support to transportation-sector federal workers during staffing or pay disruptions.
high
temporal
Describes a recurring operational response and interagency coordination option used by airlines to support federal transportation workers during disruptions.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are federal agencies that respond to and can take custody of seized wildlife in cases of illegal cross-border wildlife trafficking in the United States.
high
procedural
Roles of federal agencies in handling seized wildlife related to illegal import/export and trafficking.
DHS regulations may require non-exempt non-U.S. citizens to provide other biometrics in addition to photographs as part of entry-exit screening.
high
policy
The requirement to collect additional biometrics expands biometric screening tools used for traveler identity verification and document fraud prevention.
DHS amended regulations to remove port limitations and permit collection of biometrics from non-U.S. citizens departing from airports, land ports, seaports, or any other authorized point of departure.
high
procedural
This change allows biometric collection across all types of U.S. ports of entry and departure rather than being limited to specific pilot locations or port types.
DHS removed age-based exemptions for facial biometric collection for populations under 14 and over 79 in CBP's facial comparison-based entry-exit program, while maintaining that age-based exemptions continue to apply to biometrics other than facial images.
high
policy
DHS cites technological improvements in facial matching and the use of facial biometrics for identity verification and combating child trafficking as reasons for removing these age exemptions for facial images.
A CBP 'home' mobile application lets individuals in the United States without legal authorization notify U.S. authorities that they intend to self-deport.
high
descriptive
Describes a functionality of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection mobile app mentioned in reporting.