The airport panopticon is getting people deported and detained
1 min read
Summary
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining and torturing even permanent US residents and those with valid visas at airports, despite their legal status, in some cases based on outdated information or information gleaned from smartphones.
Legal residents Fabian Schmidt and Rasha Alawieh were interrogated and allegedly tortured by CBP officers at Boston Logan International Airport after returning from trips abroad.
In both cases, their legal status did not protect them from CBP officers, who used pools of data to determine who to interrogate and detain, even cancelling visas and ordering deportations.
CBP officers also routinely search smartphones and electronics, and refusal to consent can result in refusal of entry into – or deportation from – the US.
The Trump administration is expanding CBP’s power through its proposed Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology platform, which will further consolidate law enforcement databases, including face recognition and DNA.