- Advocacy
Comments on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Records Destruction Schedule
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is attempting to permanently destroy records related to civil rights complaints against the agency, administrative and criminal investigations into CBP officials' conduct, and records related to Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) allegations. On July 9, 2020, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recommended CBP records destruction schedule be approved.
The American Immigration Council and a large and diverse coalition of organizations opposing this decision, citing a volume of evidence pointing to CBP abuse and misconduct and lack of accountability. The widely documented failures of DHS oversight mechanisms—as well as the demonstrated historical significance of the records—support permanently retaining the records in the National Archives.