Chilling is an understatement. The U.S. government, in the name of border security and in tandem with the Mexican government, created and kept dossiers--what NBC 7 in San Diego, which broke the story, called a "secret database"--on a group of 59 journalists, advocates, activists and an attorney who met with members of a migrant caravan that came to Tijuana late last year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection singled out many in the group for lengthy extra questioning when trying to cross the border and denied at least two journalists entry.
What was the justification? The documents obtained by NBC 7 showed that the U.S.-Mexico International Liaison Unit considered those it gathered information on to be "suspected organizers, coordinators, instigators and media."
If there is no evidence these individuals "instigated" criminal activity, hassling them at the border, keeping them from entering Mexico and placing alerts on their passports is official harassment.
U.S. officials must end and answer for this abuse of power, and Congress must investigate.
Editorial on 03/12/2019