Issa Calls on Homeland Security to Immediately Suspend Sharing Information with Mexico About U.S. Border Watch Groups

Issa Calls on Homeland Security to Immediately Suspend Sharing Information with Mexico About U.S. Border Watch Groups

Rep. Darrell Issa, today, requested that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "… immediately suspend all activities that provide the Mexican government with inappropriate surveillance information about law abiding American citizens …" in a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

Issa made the request after reports surfaced that the Department of Homeland Security regularly reported the location of U.S. citizens engaged in community border watch efforts to Mexican authorities.

"I strongly support community and border watch efforts to legally aid and enhance the resources of local police departments and federal agencies like the Border Patrol," Issa stated in his letter to Chertoff. "The allegation greatly disturbs me that your department would intentionally undermine the efforts of patriotic American citizens who seek to provide information to Federal agents about illegal crossings and other activities."

"Mexico has not been a partner in creating a safe and secure border region," said Rep. Issa. "Providing Mexico with information that can help smugglers and illegal border crossers evade capture is absurd."

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