Checkpoint Nation
Not satisfied with toeing the line, US Customs and Border Protection agents are expanding their reach into the country’s interior
With over 45,000 agents in its ranks, US Customs and Border Protection is the largest law enforcement agency in the country. Yet, as Melissa del Bosque notes in “Checkpoint Nation,” CBP’s jurisdiction extends farther than even congressional leaders realize, and relatively little is known by the broader public about how the agency operates.
Last month, del Bosque, an investigative journalist and Lannan reporting fellow at the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute, joined Rachel Poser, a senior editor at Harper’s Magazine, to discuss her article and the issues surrounding border enforcement. Live in conversation in Austin, Texas, at an event co-presented with The Texas Observer, del Bosque and Poser explore how, and why, the CBP has expanded over time, the use and abuse of checkpoints, and the legal strategies currently being employed by groups such as the ACLU in order to push back against CBP’s power.
Never miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast:
