Blumenthal, Warren, Correa, Ramirez, & Lawmakers Demand Answers on Troubling Customs and Border Protection Tactics

[Hartford, CT] – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) along with U.S. Representatives Lou Correa (D-CA) and Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL), led a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding an explanation for the troubling reports alleging due process violations, mistreatment, prolonged detention, and politicized denials of entry at air and land ports since President Trump took office over three months ago.

Several recent incidents have sparked serious concerns. For example, on March 7, a green card holder returning to the United States reportedly was “violently interrogated” at an airport — including being strip-searched, forced into a cold shower, and denied access to his medications. His mother reported that “he hardly got anything to drink,” collapsed, and was later transported by ambulance to the hospital.

U.S. citizens have also reportedly been detained and mistreated by CBP in recent weeks. For example, on February 18, a U.S. citizen reportedly was handcuffed, chained to a bench, and “subjected to a humiliating body search” after asking CBP officials why her partner, a German national with whom she was traveling, was being detained.

CBP also appears to be more frequently searching travelers’ phones and sometimes denying entry after finding evidence of their political opinions on their devices. The CBP says it searches mobile phones and other electronic devices only “on rare occasions,” but early indications from the Trump administration suggest the practice is on the rise.

“Upon taking office, President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ‘ensure that all aliens seeking admission to the United States, or who are already in the United States, are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.’ In response, CBP appears to have begun not only denying entry more often, but also subjecting travelers to harsher questioning tactics, prolonged detention, and arbitrary denials of entry — turning ordinary international travel into a nightmarish ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawful permanent residents (LPRs, also known as “green card” holders), and even U.S. citizens,” wrote the lawmakers. “These incidents appear to be a sharp departure from CBP’s normal practices.”

To better understand the recent changes in the CBP’s practices, the lawmakers are pressing for answers to questions including, what steps CBP is taking to ensure that it promptly complies with time-sensitive court orders staying deportations and how CBP will comply with civil rights requirements like due process, among other questions.

The lawmakers are also requesting information on the number of complaints regarding officer misconduct received by CBP, a copy of any policy documents related to questioning and vetting of travelers with valid travel documents, the number of travelers whose electronic devices CBP has searched, and the number of U.S. citizens CBP has detained.

“We urge CBP to ensure that its agents properly respect travelers’ rights and ask that CBP provide information for us to better understand the agency’s evolving practices,” wrote the lawmakers.

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Peter Welch (D-VT), and U.S. Representatives Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Becca Balint (D-VT), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Troy Carter (D-LA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Cleo Fields (D-LA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Henry Johnson (D-GA), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Summer Lee (D-PA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jim McGovern (D-MA), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI.), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL).

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Acting Commissioner Flores and Acting Director Lyons,

We write regarding our concerns about Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) conduct at ports of entry across the country. Over the past two months, we have seen a series of troubling reports alleging due process violations, mistreatment, prolonged detention, and politicized denials of entry at air and land ports. We urge CBP to ensure that its agents properly respect travelers’ rights and ask that CBP provide information for us to better understand the agency’s evolving practices. 

Upon taking office, President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “ensure that all aliens seeking admission to the United States, or who are already in the United States, are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”1 In response, CBP appears to have begun not only denying entry more often, but also subjecting travelers to harsher questioning tactics, prolonged detention, and arbitrary denials of entry2 — turning ordinary international travel into a nightmarish ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawful permanent residents (LPRs, also known as “green card” holders), and even U.S. citizens. These incidents appear to be a sharp departure from CBP’s normal practices. Reviewing a string of recent incidents, former CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said: “I can’t remember anything quite that extreme.”3

There have been multiple recent reports of CBP officers allegedly mistreating people in their custody. On March 7, a green card holder returning to the United States reportedly was “violently interrogated” at an airport — including being strip-searched, forced into a cold shower, and denied access to his medications.4 His mother reported that “[h]e hardly got anything to drink,” collapsed, and was later transported by ambulance to the hospital.5

Even U.S. citizens have reported being detained and mistreated by CBP in recent weeks.6 For example, on February 18, a U.S. citizen reportedly was handcuffed, chained to a bench, and “subjected to a humiliating body search” after asking CBP officials why her partner, a German national with whom she was traveling, was being detained.7 On March 8, CBP detained two American children and their immigrant mother for five days, during which time the children developed a fever and cough, in an ordeal that the family said “felt like a kidnapping.”8 And this month, an American attorney was questioned for over 90 minutes as CBP sought to search his phone, which he believes was prompted by “an attempt by the Trump Administration to ‘chill’ [his] work on behalf of defendants.”9 Similar incidents have occurred at other locations.10

In addition, in some recent cases, reports indicate that CBP may have violated travelers’ due process rights. In one incident, an H-1B visa holder was deported on a flight after a federal judge’s order that “the petitioner shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without providing the Court 48 hours’ advance notice of the move and the reason therefor.”11 CBP claimed not to have seen the order before the deportation;12 that claim is currently being litigated.13 In another recent case, CBP revoked the visa of a U.S. university researcher because she did not declare an item in her baggage at customs — the penalty for which is generally a monetary fine and seizure of the item, rather than the revocation of legal status.14 Meanwhile, some individuals in CBP custody allegedly have been pressured to voluntarily abandon their LPR status without access to counsel,15 or have been denied a translator,16 despite CBP’s policy of “provid[ing] interpretive services where appropriate.”17

Furthermore, CBP appears to be transferring travelers with increasing frequency to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for prolonged periods of detention. For example, the researcher mentioned above was detained by CBP on February 16 and was then transferred to ICE’s custody in Louisiana — where she has now been held for almost two months.18 Additionally, on January 25, a German tourist was stopped by border agents and, for no clear reason, was transferred to a notorious ICE detention center, where she remained for six weeks — including nine days in solitary confinement.19 Similar cases have involved a backpacker from Wales who was recently detained for three weeks, and a Canadian with a U.S. work visa who was detained for twelve days after attempting to return to the United States for work.20

We are also concerned that CBP appears to be more frequently searching travelers’ phones — and sometimes denying entry after finding evidence of their political opinions on their devices. According to CBP, it searches mobile phones and other electronic devices only “on rare occasions,”21 and in fiscal year 2024, CBP officials searched .01% of travelers’ devices.22 But early indications from this Administration suggest that number is on the rise23 — as are allegations of politicized denials of entry. For example, CBP recently blocked the entry of a French scientist traveling for a conference; according to the French government, agents denied entry because of the traveler’s phone messages that “expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policies.”24 Trump Administration officials deny that claim.25

CBP’s tactics, along with other Trump Administration policies, appear to be contributing to a decline in travel to the United States.26 Multiple countries — including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, and Denmark — have warned their citizens against travel to the United States.27 Airlines are preparing for reduced travel into the country by canceling routes and adjusting their earnings expectations.28 Travelers are canceling trips,29 such as one recently detained traveler and his American fiancé who are rethinking plans to hold their wedding in the United States and believe “[n]obody is safe there anymore to come to America as a tourist.”30 Reduced travel will lead to lost jobs, lost profits for American businesses, and lost revenue for the nation.31

This trend may soon worsen. The Trump Administration is reportedly considering a travel ban that would impose travel restrictions on up to 43 countries,32 which may prompt CBP officers to adopt harsher vetting tactics, even with travelers from other countries.

To help the American public — and the one million travelers entering the United States each day33 — better understand recent changes in CBP’s practices, we request answers to the following questions by May 14, 2025:

1. What steps is CBP taking to ensure that it promptly complies with time-sensitive court orders staying deportations?
2. Please provide the number of complaints regarding officer misconduct received by CBP for each of January, February, and March, and April 2025, along with data on the median number of monthly complaints for each of the past five years.
3. Given personnel cuts at DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and other DHS watchdog offices,34 what steps will CBP take to ensure robust, independent oversight of its compliance with civil rights requirements such as those related to due process, freedom of speech, and prohibitions on discrimination?
4. Please provide a copy of any policy documents related to questioning and vetting of travelers with valid travel documents, including those with lawful permanent residency, a valid visa, or a valid U.S. passport.
   1. Please provide any policy documents on when agents may request that a lawful permanent resident abandon their status.
5. Please provide a copy of any policy documents related to basic and advanced searches of electronic devices, beyond CBP Directive 3340-049A,35 including on CBP’s policy regarding when content found on an electronic device can be the basis of denying entry into the United States.
6. Please provide the number of travelers whose electronic devices CBP has searched for each of January, February, and March, and April 2025, along with the reasons logged, if any, and data on the median number of device searches by CBP for each of the past five years, disaggregated by nationality.
7. Please provide the number of travelers arriving at U.S. ports of entry who have been transferred from CBP to ICE custody for each of January, February, and March, and April 2025, along with data on the median number of monthly transfers of travelers from CBP to ICE custody for each of the past five years, disaggregated by nationality and by reason(s) given, if any. Over the past month:
   1. What has been the median duration of detention for those travelers?
   2. How much has ICE spent to detain those travelers?
8. Please provide the number of U.S. citizens CBP has detained for each of January, February, and March, and April 2025, along with data on the median number of U.S. citizens detained by CBP for each of the past five years, disaggregated by nationality, race/ethnicity, and by reasons given, if any.
9. Please share any policies or directives regarding the use of expedited removal in cases involving visa holders at ports of entry.
10. Please share the number of visa holders who were subjected to expedited removal, the number of visa holders who were admitted, and the number of visa holders who withdrew applications for admission, disaggregated by country of origin and port of entry, for each of January, February, and March, and April 2025.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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