(Leaders in San Diego gather at the County Administration Building to call on lawmakers ahead of DHS funding vote on February 12, 2026. / Southern Border Communities Coalition) SOUTHERN BORDER — As Congress faces a funding deadline this Friday for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), community, labor, faith, and civic leaders gathered in San Diego on Thursday to call on lawmakers to protect our communities. Specifically they called for no more funding for DHS abuse, violence and impunity, and instead asked Congress to prioritize:  Limiting use of force by DHS agents to protect life Ensuring criminal investigations of use of force are independent Ending warrantless searches, detentions and arrests Increasing oversight and transparency Ending racial and identity profiling Shortly after the press conference, the Senate voted down a Continuing Resolution that would have continued DHS funding as a status quo. With a looming shutdown, San Diego leaders call on Congress to do everything they can to rein in the egregious behavior of DHS agents through the funding process. Continue reading

What: As Congress faces a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), regional leaders in San Diego will come together for a press conference Thursday to send a message to lawmakers: No more funding for abuse, violence and impunity — Congress must protect our communities by:  Limiting use of force by DHS agents to protect life Ensuring criminal investigations of use of force are independent Ending warrantless searches, detentions and arrests Increasing oversight and transparency Ending racial and identity profiling Continue reading

Latest moves by Trump Administration fast-track more devastating harm to borderlands caused by border wall construction  Southern Border — Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced an unprecedented swath of waivers allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ignore federal contracting and procurement laws to expedite border wall construction across the borderlands in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. By including all of the southern border in the new nine border wall waivers, the administration is creating a path for unscrupulous, backdoor border wall contracts across the borderlands. Continue reading

Scott's track record demonstrates creating a culture of impunity at Border Patrol, steeped in the misuse of agency resources and abuse of power (Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott testifies on his nomination to serve as U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Building in Washington D.C. April 30, 2025. /CBP, Jaime Rodriguez) SOUTHERN BORDER – Today, the Senate confirmed the Trump administration’s nominee, Rodney Scott, to the position of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner. The Southern Border Communities Coalition denounces his confirmation after repeatedly raising concerns about Mr. Scott's track record demonstrating he has been complicit in creating a culture of impunity at Border Patrol, the largest component of CBP, and is steeped in the misuse of agency resources and abuse of power, raising doubts about his ability to lead with integrity.  Continue reading

Basic freedoms and rights are at stake as U.S. government oversteps use of military to exercise control of The People, infringing on our civil liberties and human rights. Continue reading

DHS statements comes in response to recent hearings in a lawsuit challenging the shuttering of civil rights offices across the Department WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Homeland Security today announced that it will not abolish the Department’s Offices for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, or the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, reversing a previous move to shutter the offices.  Continue reading

NGOs raise major concerns with Scott’s use of illegal warrants and subpoenas to cover-up killings and abuse by border agents under his command (Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott testifies on his nomination to serve as U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner before the Senate Finance Committee in Washington D.C. April 30, 2025. / CBP, Jaime Rodriguez)   SOUTHERN BORDER – As Congress considers unprecedented levels of funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 35 non-governmental organizations issued a letter today urging the Senate Finance Committee to vote against Trump's nominee for CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, given his demonstrated lack of accountability and integrity in his prior leadership roles at Border Patrol. Continue reading

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents patrol an open air detention site (OADS) with migrants in their custody along the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2023. / Southern Border Communities Coalition)   Declarations detail stories of alleged abuse and neglect of people in DHS detention WASHINGTON, D.C. — Human rights and immigration advocate groups late yesterday asked a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to resume operations of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office, and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, asking the court to immediately reopen the offices tasked with protecting the civil rights of people who interact with immigration enforcement officials.  Continue reading

Move to bypass civil rights protections at Department of Homeland Security violates law and undermines constitutional protections Continue reading

Southern Border - Yesterday, the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s continued human rights abuses at Open Air Detention Sites as part of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the United States. Continue reading