WASHINGTON (AP) — A number of Democratic lawmakers are questioning the legality of a U.S. Border Patrol predictive intelligence program that singles out and detains drivers for suspicious travel inside the country.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts sent a letter Monday to Border Patrol’s parent agency calling the license plate reader program an invasive surveillance network that poses a serious threat to individuals’ privacy and civil liberties and raised the possibility that the program may run afoul of the U.S. Constitution.
“Such pervasive surveillance — similar to surveillance conducted by authoritarian regimes — not only chills lawful expression and assembly but also raises serious constitutional concerns. Without transparency, accountability, and clear limitations, these practices erode fundamental individual rights and set a dangerous precedent for unchecked government power,” Markey wrote, demanding details about the plate readers and their use.
An investigation by the Associated Press revealed that the U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide to identify and detain individuals whose travel patterns it deems suspicious. The program has been criticized for using hidden surveillance methods, leading to constitutional concerns among lawmakers.
Courts traditionally uphold the use of license plate readers on public roads; however, they have also reinforced restrictions on warrantless access to sensitive tracking data, raising questions about the constitutionality of the program under the Fourth Amendment.
CBP officials did not immediately comment but previously stated their use of license plate readers adheres to strict policy frameworks and constitutional protections. Lawmakers are demanding transparency regarding this and other surveillance practices that could threaten individual freedoms.
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