Written by Joshua Breisblatt In December 2012, then acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) David Aguilar had announced a policy restricting his agencies’ officers and agents from acting as interpreters for state or local law enforcement agencies—which had become a common practice along the northern and southern borders. However, just last month, current CBP Commissioner, Gil Kerlikowske reversed course and authorized CBP Agents to again act as interpreters for state and local police despite significant civil rights concerns associated with that practice. Continue reading

  By Curt Prendergast Marlo Paipa was driving home to Tucson with two friends after visiting the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge when their trip took a twisted turn. Border Patrol agents pulled them over in Three Points and placed them in handcuffs without explanation, the ACLU of Arizona said in a June 28 letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol. Continue reading

  By Russell Brandom Your Twitter handle may soon be part of the US visa process. Yesterday, US Customs and Border Protection entered a new proposal into the federal register, suggesting a new field in which persons entering the country can declare their various social media accounts and screen names. The information wouldn’t be mandatory, but the proposed field would still provide customs officials with an unprecedented window into the online life of travelers. The process already includes fingerprinting, an in-person interview, and numerous database checks.   Read the full story here. 

  By Kathy Cline One Arizona senator says the U.S.-Mexico trade is too important to allow a wall on the border. Continue reading

  By Eric Ortiz “El Peso Hero” is not your typical comic book. Created in 2011 by Hector Rodriguez—an elementary school teacher in Dallas and the founder of Rio Bravo Comics—the series focuses on life on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. Continue reading

  By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times The Kingsville Border Patrol Station has a new agent in charge. In a news release, the agency announced that Duke Canchola will be the new Patrol Agent in Charge. Continue reading

  By Phil Villarreal NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - Nogales police say a 32-year-old Mexican woman fell to her death June 16 after tumbling from a border fence. Read the full story here.

  By Kristian Hernandez NEAR FALFURRIAS — The sun blazed Tuesday afternoon as Eddie Canales and Anna Ibarra of the South Texas Human Rights Center took turns striking a three-foot metal rod into the ground with a sledge hammer for the first of 12 new water stations. Continue reading

  By Associated Press SAN DIEGO — An FBI veteran was named Monday to head the U.S. Border Patrol, a departure from the historical practice of picking someone who has risen through the ranks. Continue reading

  By Howard Fischer PHOENIX -- A U.S. citizen is suing the federal government after she said she was taken in handcuffs by border offices to a Nogales hospital for a body cavity search -- which found nothing -- and then billed for the procedure. Continue reading