Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, will be getting four additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers by the fall, according to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett. The airport currently has 15 officers, which is insufficient to handle the increasing number of arrivals. The shortage of officers has resulted in delays in clearing customs for international flights. To improve the traveler experience, the airport is also working on an international arrivals improvement project, which is expected to be completed in 2025 [01521775].
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) has urged the Biden administration to fulfill commitments outlined in the proposed supplemental spending package for Fiscal Year 2025, particularly as they relate to border communities. TBC Chairman David Stout highlighted critical provisions in the proposed budget, including additional resources for funding 1,000 Customs and Border Protection Officers, allocation of funds for an additional 1,300 border patrol agents, investment in border inspection equipment, and allocation of resources for immigration judges and asylum officers. Stout emphasized the need for policy changes to accompany funding increases, particularly reforms to asylum policies with an emphasis on due process. TBC also stressed the importance of implementing safeguards to protect trade at the border in the event of surges in immigration and the need for comprehensive immigration reforms to maintain border safety, prosperity, and trade with Mexico. The letter was sent to President Biden and copied to Vice President Kamala Harris and various government officials [27562300].
The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) has launched the "Summer of Resistance" campaign in response to the replication of unconstitutional border enforcement bills like Texas’ Senate Bill 4 across the nation. The campaign, led by the We Will Resist Coalition, aims to increase community organizing and leadership throughout Texas and motivate communities to take action against Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star and Senate Bill 4, which are seen as human and civil rights violations. The campaign was launched on June 5th at the BNHR Office in El Paso, Texas [f420c016].
A US District Court ruling states that police, including officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), need a warrant to search your cellphone at JFK International Airport. This is a break from previous judicial decisions that made US borders and international airports a Fourth Amendment-free zone. However, there are important issues not addressed in the ruling, and travelers should be aware of their rights. The ruling came about after a US citizen, Kurbanali Sultanov, was flagged for special treatment by CBP while visiting his family in Uzbekistan. TECS alerts, used by CBP to determine whether to issue a boarding pass and how to treat passengers, can be generated for various reasons and are not limited to people suspected of crimes. Travelers are advised to film and record interactions with CBP agents and police, stay in public places with witnesses, not consent to any search, assert their rights under the Privacy Protection Act, back up their phones before traveling, lock their phones or shut them off before approaching checkpoints, not give passwords to CBP agents, ask if they are free to leave, demand a receipt for seized belongings, and ask for the basis of any search, seizure, or questioning [25c491ca].