“No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?

A shocking exposé reveals how a secretive Customs and Border Protection division investigated as many as 20 journalists and their contacts by using government databases intended to track terrorists. Those investigated include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter Martha Mendoza, along with others at The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. We speak to Jana Winter, the investigative correspondent who broke the story at Yahoo News, who says it’s unclear if the surveillance program was discontinued. “These were career officials who are still running this secretive unit with no rules and no procedures for how they access these databases,” says Winter. “They target Americans who are located in the United States who are not suspected of any crime whatsoever.”

Seg1 cbp patch

A shocking exposé reveals how a secretive Customs and Border Protection division investigated as many as 20 journalists and their contacts by using government databases intended to track terrorists. Those investigated include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter Martha Mendoza, along with others at The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. We speak to Jana Winter, the investigative correspondent who broke the story at Yahoo News, who says it’s unclear if the surveillance program was discontinued. “These were career officials who are still running this secretive unit with no rules and no procedures for how they access these databases,” says Winter. “They target Americans who are located in the United States who are not suspected of any crime whatsoever.”


Print Share Comment Cite Upload Translate
APA
Democracy Now! | Peace (2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00) » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?. Retrieved from https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/.
MLA
" » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?." Democracy Now! | Peace - Tuesday December 14, 2021, https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/
HARVARD
Democracy Now! | Peace Tuesday December 14, 2021 » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?., viewed 2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00,<https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/>
VANCOUVER
Democracy Now! | Peace - » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?. [Internet]. [Accessed 2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00]. Available from: https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/
CHICAGO
" » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?." Democracy Now! | Peace - Accessed 2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00. https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/
IEEE
" » “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running?." Democracy Now! | Peace [Online]. Available: https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/. [Accessed: 2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00]
rf:citation
» “No Rules”: A Border Patrol Unit Worked with the FBI to Investigate Journalists. Is It Still Running? | Democracy Now! | Peace | https://www.pea.cx/2021/12/14/no-rules-a-border-patrol-unit-worked-with-the-fbi-to-investigate-journalists-is-it-still-running/ | 2026-11-12T04:42:45+00:00
https://github.com/addpipe/simple-recorderjs-demo