US Border Agency Workers Allegedly Used Government Databases to Spy on Personal Contacts
Customs and Border Protection employees and contractors are accused of misusing sensitive surveillance tools to track colleagues, monitor romantic interests, and share intelligence with suspected smugglers.
Internal records obtained by WIRED reveal that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees and contractors allegedly misused sensitive government databases for personal reasons between 2009 and 2022. The misconduct involved querying data to look up romantic interests, monitor family members, track colleagues’ cell phones using ad-tech-derived location data, and provide border-crossing intelligence to suspected smugglers. Of nearly 300 data-related entries identified, 78 were referred to criminal investigators, though many cases lacked resolution codes, obscuring whether discipline was imposed. The findings highlight vulnerabilities in Department of Homeland Security surveillance systems, including facial recognition and commercial data purchases, amid concerns over civil rights and accountability.
The allegations, acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests to CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, detail a wide range of abuses. These included federal agents querying data to look up romantic interests, monitor family members, expose personal information, and in some cases, provide intelligence to suspected smugglers or drug-trafficking organizations. The records reveal how sensitive data collected for law-enforcement purposes was weaponized against private individuals over a period of more than a decade.
Of the almost 300 data-related entries identified, 138 were referred to CBP management for review, 78 were serious enough to be assigned to Office of Professional Responsibility criminal investigators, and 43 were classified as “Information Only.” A smaller number fell into other categories, including 12 misconduct allegations sent for management review, three logged as “Law Enforcement Records,” two as “Immediate Management Actions,” and one as an administrative inquiry. CBP withheld 21 cases, citing an exemption protecting active law-enforcement proceedings.
Several cases involve officers using database access to allegedly pursue or harass private citizens. In 2010, a customs officer allegedly pulled data on an Air New Zealand flight attendant and used it to contact them. In 2017, another officer faced a formal investigation over allegations that he misused government databases to harass a different airline employee, though the case’s resolution code was left blank. Other incidents included an officer querying his neighbors in federal computer databases and an employee obtaining an ex-husband’s leave schedule as part of a harassment campaign.
More serious allegations involved employees providing law-enforcement information to people suspected of criminal activity. In 2016, the Office of Professional Responsibility investigated an allegation that a CBP employee was giving database information to a drug-trafficking organization. A separate 2021 entry accused a Border Patrol agent of querying databases to advise smugglers which lane to use at the border. The records do not disclose whether anyone was held accountable, as many cases are closed with withheld or blank resolution fields.
The records land at a moment when immigration authorities have more visibility into private citizens’ lives than ever before. Over the past two decades, the Department of Homeland Security has built one of the largest surveillance systems in the world, including the Enforcement Integrated Database, the TECS system, and the Central Index System. CBP also taps into Palantir’s Investigative Case Management system and FALCON, a Palantir analytics tool, to search and link records pulled from across government and commercial sources.
Commercial telemetry data has become one of the most controversial forms of law-enforcement surveillance because it lets the government buy access to location information generated by ordinary apps, rather than obtaining it directly from phone companies with a court-approved search warrant. A 2023 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that CBP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the US Secret Service had bought and used this kind of data without fully complying with department privacy rules or developing sufficient policies for its use.
In response to WIRED’s findings, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency takes allegations regarding misconduct seriously, adding that it works to uphold the rule of law and hold itself accountable. The spokesperson stated that both CBP and the Department of Homeland Security thoroughly investigate alleged or potential misconduct and that appropriate investigatory, corrective, and disciplinary action is taken.
