All articles tagged with #border patrol
A nearly blind Rohingya refugee who could not speak English was released by U.S. Border Patrol to a coffee shop in Buffalo, New York, and days later was found dead; local officials call the death preventable and demand accountability, while CBP says the man was not amenable to removal and chose a warm location, with family notifications and a broader investigation under scrutiny.
CalMatters reports that automated license plate readers along California’s eastern border are feeding data into federal databases, with permits issued by Caltrans for eight devices and up to 40 readers in the area. Supporters say the tech helps identify suspects, spot trafficking patterns, and locate missing persons, while privacy advocates warn of reduced transparency, potential misuse, and state-law conflicts. The piece notes ongoing enforcement actions, including attorney general letters and a lawsuit, and highlights local concerns from volunteers and residents about being surveilled.
A nearly blind Rohingya refugee, Nurul Amin Shah Alam, who had been released from a Buffalo jail and dropped off by U.S. Border Patrol at a coffee shop near his home, was found dead on a downtown Buffalo street; investigators are probing the circumstances as the mayor condemns federal handling as inhumane, while CBP says he chose the coffee shop for safety and showed no signs of distress; his family notes he could not read or speak English and relied on a walking stick.
A Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 Cuban-Americans entered Cuban waters and exchanged fire with a Cuban border patrol, leaving four dead and six wounded; Cuban authorities say the group planned a terrorist attack and possessed weapons, with the wounded and a seventh suspect later arrested on the island. U.S. agencies are reviewing the incident as tensions with Cuba rise. The brother of one victim described his sibling as driven by an obsessive, diabolical bid to free Cuba, highlighting the personal toll behind the incident.
A nearly blind Rohingya refugee named Shah Alam was released from Erie County jail and dropped off by U.S. Border Patrol at a Buffalo coffee shop; five days later his body was found four miles away. The Erie County Medical Examiner ruled the death health-related, with homicide and exposure ruled out, prompting an investigation and broad criticism from Buffalo officials who called the handling “deeply disturbing.” CBP says Alam, a refugee, was not amenable to removal and that he accepted a courtesy ride to a warm location; officials are examining the circumstances surrounding his release and death.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Burmese refugee, was released from Erie County custody and dropped off by U.S. border patrol at a Buffalo Tim Hortons; he disappeared and was later found dead, with homicide detectives investigating the circumstances and timing of his release, and his family saying they were not notified. He had lived in Buffalo for about 15 months following a prior arrest.
DHS officials say there are no immediate plans for large-scale, city-focused immigration enforcement operations; ICE will instead target serious criminals nationwide and Border Patrol interior operations will be paused with agents returned to border sectors. The Minneapolis deployment—over 3,000 officers and about 4,000 arrests—drew scrutiny after the killings of two U.S. citizens, with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signaling a shift toward focusing on crimes by people in the country illegally and on voting security.
During a House Homeland Security hearing, ICE acting director Todd Lyons and CBP commissioner Rodney Scott defended enforcement while facing partisan questions over detainee treatment (including a five-year-old case Lyons said was cared for, not used as bait), threats against agents, and rhetoric labeling agents as fascist. The discussion covered training times, body-camera usage, the ICE–CBP distinction, border-protection tactics, and World Cup security, with White House aides weighing in and USCIS fraud checks cited for context. Republicans framed it as upholding law and order, Democrats pressed for accountability and proper oversight, and there were mentions of potential pardons from Trump.
A federal judge in Chicago ordered the public release of most evidence in the October 2025 Border Patrol shooting of Marimar Martinez, including about 40 text messages from the agent who shot her, body-camera footage, emails, FBI reports and 30 days of vehicle images from Flock cameras, with third-party redactions to be applied. The decision comes as prosecutors argued for limited disclosure and Martinez’s lawyers push back against Homeland Security’s portrayal of Martinez as a domestic terrorist, saying transparency is needed to correct misinformation surrounding the case.
Leadership changes in Minnesota reflect ongoing tensions between ICE and Border Patrol over immigration enforcement methods, signaling a shift in how state authorities coordinate with federal agencies amid national debates on border security.
A federal judge in Chicago ruled that text messages from Border Patrol agent Charles Exum after he shot Marimar Martinez can be released to the public, saying they offer insight into credibility and how DHS leadership viewed the incident; the ruling also permits broader release of body-camera footage, emails, investigative reports and 911 audio, while denying some data like license-plate reader footage; Martinez’s case was dropped by prosecutors, and her team seeks to further illuminate the record to counter DHS’s domestic-terrorist labeling.
Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park last year and later had federal charges dropped, plans to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address as a guest of Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, while her lawyer seeks public release of body-camera footage and related texts amid ongoing court proceedings.
A Quinnipiac poll shows a majority of voters doubt the Trump administration's account of the Alex Pretti fatal shooting; Democrats overwhelmingly view the explanations as not credible (about 93% say not honest, 2% find it credible), while Republicans are more divided though a majority still trust the narrative. The incident is under DOJ/FBI review with CBP also probing its actions, and voters across parties back independent investigations and reforms to ICE/CBP as immigration policy remains a divisive issue while Trump’s handling of immigration has waned in popularity.
The Trump administration will pull 700 immigration agents from Minnesota as part of winding down the Minneapolis crackdown, bringing the federal presence down toward pre-December levels while keeping about 2,000 agents. Body-worn cameras will be issued to officers in Minnesota, and officials say the operation improved with a unified command, though it faced court challenges; Homan cited arrests ranging from homicides to assaults as justification for the program.
Government records identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP officer Raymundo Gutierrez as the officers who fatally shot Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti; DHS says two agents fired but it’s unclear whether one or both struck him, while bystander videos appear to contradict the agency’s narrative. Pretti was killed during an arrest attempt and was a legally armed resident. A congressional forum on DHS tactics is planned, with witnesses including relatives of affected individuals and policing experts.