Border Control and Customs

Drug NAFTA: More Mexican Cartels in the United States, but Americans Are Doing the Smuggling

It can be hard to figure out exactly what to make of the evil, ugly specter known as Mexican drug cartels. A pair of investigative reports, conducted by the Associated Press and the Center for Investigative Reporting, have given us some conclusions to chew on -- and together, they paint an odd pictu ... More >>

Gilbert Lam, Department of Homeland Security Employee, Arrested on Kiddie Porn Charges

A San Francisco man employed by the federal Department of Homeland Security was arrested and charged with two felonies for possessing and distributing child pornography, police said. Gilbert Lam, 37, was arrested at his San Francisco home on March 9 and has since been charged in San Francisco Super ... More >>

S.F. Group Sues Over Predator Drone Privacy Rules

Do thoughts of miniature helicopters hovering and peeking into your bedroom keep you up at night? Maybe you are worried about Uncle Sam seeing what you do when nobody is watching? Well, so is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based digital civil liberties group that filed a lawsui ... More >>

Idiot Allegedly Tries to Smuggle 2.5 Pounds of Cocaine by Swallowing it

It seems like criminals get dumber every day. This not-so-bright man was busted at San Francisco International Airport after he allegedly attempted to smuggle 2.5 pounds of cocaine filled pellets in his stomach.Emanuel Amakura, a U.S. citizen, was reportedly stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Prot ... More >>

Days of Rage: Immigrants and Allies Must Fight Back

Cindy Chang, Sunday School Teacher, Released After Three-Week Detention at Arizona Immigration Checkpoint

​Cindy Chang was driving from San Jose to Phoenix for a friend's wedding early this month when she was stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Eloy, Ariz. These structures are common this close to the border. Chang, a 26-year old Sunday school teacher who has lived in the Bay Area since her f ... More >>

Cocaine Seized from Cruise Ship at Pier 35

​Federal agents announced today that they seized 13 kilograms, or close to 29 pounds, of cocaine from a cruise ship docked in San Francisco last month.According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a joint operation among federal agencies and local law-enforcement led to two sep ... More >>

Border Control Cracks Down on Immigration of Red Roses

CBP​Red roses will be getting the pat-down by border control this Valentine's Day to ensure those flowers you give your honey come Tuesday are free of nasty bugs.The U.S. Customs and Border Control will continue stopping every red rose over the weekend, scanning to see if any of those flowers are ... More >>

Customs Agents Intercept Smuggled Animal Skulls at San Francisco Airport

​It's always interesting to see the sorts of contraband that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are intercepting in the Bay Area. About a year ago, we heaved a sigh of relief after "destructive" Pakistani insects were detected by the feds in a shipment of rice in Oakland.But such arthropod ... More >>

The 10 Best Bay Area Music Videos of 2011

From Seventeen Evergreen's "Polarity Song" video.​ Ah, the music video: In three decades, these modest clips went from insider promo tool, to prime-time TV staple, to Internet meme-generator. And despite all the online noise and bustle of 2011, a good music video is still a fantastic way to gr ... More >>

Watch DJ Shadow's Blood-Boiling New Video, "Border Crossing"

The Occupy Wall Street Everywhere protests are stealing headlines this week. But for many, immigration and border politics remain one of the most backwards and unjust issues facing the country. Count among that group the Bay Area's DJ Shadow, whose new video for "Border Crossing" qualifies as a bloo ... More >>

Francisco Carrillo-Beltran, Mexican National, Accused of Smuggling Meth Through Airport

Great for massages, not so great for drug smuggling​Border Patrol agents seized about 11 pounds of methamphetamine from Francisco Carillo-Beltran's luggage as he traveled through the Fresno/Yosemite International Airport on Sept. 11. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested 42-year-old Carr ... More >>

The Art of Smuggling

'Destructive' Pakistani Insects in Oakland Intercepted by Border Agents

​Heave a sigh of relief, Bay Area residents. The Khapra beetle, an invasive and "extremely destructive" arthropod, has been foiled -- for now -- in its evil designs upon the human race's grain silos by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).In a news release today, CBP announced that ... More >>

Radiation Levels Monitored on Japan-California Flights

Old-school decontamination​U.S. Customs and Border Protection is monitoring radiation levels on airplanes, cargo, and passengers on flights inbound to West Coast cities from Japan, federal officials said today.In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said officials were seeking to "evaluate t ... More >>

Mexican Lucha Libre Wrestlers Fight - San Francisco High Schoolers Win

A recession calls for superheroes.​Raising money for college scholarships in a recession begs creativity. Bake sales? Overdone. Car washes? Cliche. A man in furry underwear kicking the ass of a Border Patrol agent in the school gym? Now we're getting somewhere. John O'Connell High School of Techno ... More >>

The Feds Bury Border Patrol Abuses of Immigrants, But What's Been Unearthed Reveals a Culture of Cruelty

Grinding Justice: Operation Streamline Costs Millions, Tramples the Constitution, Treats Migrants Like Cattle, and Doesnít Work

Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck sues Homeland Security over travel data

Held Captive

Coyotes who smuggle immigrants torture and extort their victims, helped by out government's failure to enact immigration reform.

Accused Sex Offenders Arrested at San Francisco Airport

​U.S. Customs and Border Protection is announcing it nabbed two alleged sex offenders at San Francisco Airport after the American citizens' separate flights from the Philippines touched down.  The first man was arrested last Monday on a warrant out of Washington State. The second man was book ... More >>

S.F. Man Threatens to 'Sell' Woman. SoCal Man Does Worse.

​We've heard stories before of people reporting their exes to immigration officials, but a couple of psycho tales in the news today one-upped that revenge tactic.In San Francisco, a person reported to police that a 25-year-old female Hispanic friend sent out a desperate text message that she was b ... More >>

Feds Indict Fisherman's Wharf Merchants For Selling Fake Louis Vuittons

No, you didn't get a real, $5 Louis Vuitton...​In what is being billed as the largest takedown of retailers of designer fakes on the West Coast, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement busted a slew of Fisherman's Wharf merchants for allegedly smuggling and trafficking in fake Oakley, Nike, A ... More >>

ILLEGAL from Terry Greene Sterling

Read a penetrating chapter from former Phoenix New Times investigative reporter Terry Greene Sterling's book: ILLEGAL: Life and Death in Arizona's Immigration War Zone

Undocumented Students Protest Senator Feinstein's Delay On Dream Act

​Dozens of college students - many undocumented - protested outside Senator Dianne Feinstein's Market Street office Thursday morning, urging her to act on a pending bill that would offer a path to citizenship to students who crossed the border while kids and have attended two years of college.Stud ... More >>

Cowboy Down: Rob Krentz's Family Talks About the Life and Death of the Murdered Arizona Rancher

Badlands: From Ground Zero of the Immigration Crisis Along the Mexican Border

Light It Up

Janet Napolitano’s Sorry Service in Arizona Makes Her a Terrible Choice for Homeland Security Secretary

A Quick Buck

Sacramento Act Banned From the UK for 10 Years!

The Identity Makers

In the age of terror, are the people who make fake identification documents for the Hispanic community noble public servants -- or national security risks?

The Minuteman's 15 Minutes of Fame (Minute 14.5)

At the Arizona border, Infiltrator checks in with Americans who help the government look for illegal aliens