SAN DIEGO (AP) – the United States Government carried out an operation to monitor journalists and activists, among others, while investigating the caravan of migrants from last year from Me Mexico, reported on Wednesday a San Diego television station citing leaked documents. The reports, which included photos of passports or accounts in social networks, date of birth and other details, is kept in a database and some independent journalists had alerts on their passports and were selected for a second examination in the Customs, said the chain KNSD-TV. A photojournalist freelance is denied entry to Mexico for reasons which were never declared, he added television. The documents, in the form of reports and screenshots, were delivered to NBC 7 Investigates by a source of national security under the condition of anonymity, according to the medium. Among those selected for secondary checks had 10 reporters _ seven of them _ American citizens, a U.S. lawyer and 47 people of various nationalities classified as organizers, instigators or “unknown”, he added. Intelligence gathering was done under the umbrella of “Line safe operation”, that was designed to monitor the massive Caravan departed from Central America last year aiming to seek asylum in the United States, he told the source to the television station. A statement from the Office of customs and border protection (CBP, for its acronym in English) sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday said that the reinforcement of security occurred after a gap in the border fence in San Diego on 25 November in one violent confrontation between members of the Caravan and agents. Shock caused the closure of the busiest intersection in the country for five hours on the weekend of action of Gracias.Estos “criminal acts (…) “that included assaults to the police and a risk to public safety, are monitored and routinely investigated by the authorities”, said CBP. “Protocol, after these incidents are collected evidence that may be necessary to future legal action and to determine if the Act was orchestrated”. The statement did not address the details of why had journalists on the list of passports. The American Union for civil liberties (ACLU, by its acronym in English) condemned the operation.” This is an abusive violation of the first amendment,”said the lawyer Esha Bhandari. “Government can not use the pretext of border to attack critical activists with their policies, lawyers who provide legal representation or to reporters who are simply doing their job.”
According to the source, the documents, dated January 9, were used by CBP and other agencies, including some FBI agents in San Diego.
Two independent photojournalists to television station confirmed that information containing their reports was true. Both were subjected to a secondary examination at border crossings and one, Kitra Cahana, it was stopped in Mexico, where he was denied entry, and had to fly back to the United States. He is not informed of the reason why were on the point of view of the authorities. One of the records was about Nicole Ramos, Director of refugee and lawyer of Al Otro Lado, a legal Center for migrants and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. Your tab included details such as the type of car that handles and the name of his mother, KNSD-TV reported.” The document seems to show what we assume some time ago, which is that we are in a list of the authorities designed to retaliate against the defenders of human rights who work with asylum seekers and which are critical of the practices of the CBP which violate the rights of asylum seekers,”said Ramos in an email to the broadcaster.
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