Correspondence - Item 27 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Congress,5 of the aniteb *tate.5 Va�bingtou, ;D(f 20513 April 29, 2025 Pete R. Flores Mr. Todd Lyons Acting Commissioner Acting Director U.S. Customs and Border Patrol U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Room 3.5A 500 12th St. NW Washington, DC 20229 Washington, DC 20536 Dear Acting Commissioner Flores and Acting Director Lyons, We write regarding our concerns about Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) conduct at ports of entry across the country. Over the past two months, we have seen a series of troubling reports alleging due process violations, mistreatment, prolonged detention, and politicized denials of entry at air and land ports. We urge CBP to ensure that its agents properly respect travelers' rights and ask that CBP provide information for us to better understand the agency's evolving practices. Upon taking office, President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)to "ensure that all aliens seeking admission to the United States, or who are already in the United States, are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."' In response, CBP appears to have begun not only denying entry more often, but also subjecting travelers to harsher questioning tactics, prolonged detention, and arbitrary denials of entry' turning ordinary international travel into a nightmarish ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawful permanent residents (LPRs, also known as "green card" holders), and even U.S. citizens. These incidents appear to be a sharp departure from CBP's normal practices. Reviewing a string of recent incidents, former CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said: "I can't remember anything quite that extreme."' There have been multiple recent reports of CBP officers allegedly mistreating people in their custody. On March 7, a green card holder returning to the United States reportedly was "violently interrogated" at an airport including being strip-searched, forced into a cold 'White House, "Protecting The United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats,"January 20,2025,hops://www.wliitchouse. og_v/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-united- states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-othernational-security-and-public-safety-threats/._ z Washington Post,"Entering the U.S.?Here are your rights at airports and border crossings,"Daniel Wu,March 21, 2025,hops://www.wasliin lgloppost.com/travel/2025/03/21/travelers-entering-united-states-rights/. 3 Wall Street Journal,"Border Agents Use More Aggressive Tactics to Question Visa Holders,Tourists,"Tarim Parti and Michelle Hackman,March 20,2025,https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/border-agents-use-more- agg essive-tactics-to-question-visa-holders-tourists-067afbf4?st=RgPTwK&reflink=article_email_share.