What do cbp officers carry

Despite high-profile instances in recent months where agents used tear gas on groups of migrants that included children, use of less-lethal force like tear gas, batons or stun guns are also down, to That's a decrease from the high in of 1,, according to the data. There are high-profile exceptions, like the shooting death by agents of a year-old Guatemalan woman who crossed the border near Laredo, Texas, last May, but the firearms low comes as Border Patrol agents and Customs officers face an increase in the number of assaults, according to the data.

Fewer people are being apprehended crossing the border illegally each year — about , last year compared with more than 1 million in Those apprehended used to be mostly single men from Mexico, but now an increasing number of families from Central America are caught crossing the border illegally — since January nearly , families have been apprehended between ports of entry.

From October through September , about the same number of families was apprehended at the U. Graphic shows use of force statistics by U. Customs and Border Protection personnel since the fiscal year. Complaints of excessive force prompted the border enforcement agency to commission an audit and investigation by the Police Executive Research Forum, a research and policy group. The audit highlighted problems that included foot-patrol agents without access to less-lethal options, and it recommended law enforcement not be allowed to use deadly force when people throw rocks — a suggestion that was rejected.

Following those reviews, major training and policy changes were made. Border Patrol agents now undergo scenario-based drills at the academy and learn how to de-escalate tense situations. They get 64 hours of on-the-job training on use of force. Agents and officers are authorized to use deadly force when there is reasonable belief in an imminent danger of serious physical injury or death to the officer or another person.

They may then conduct a pat-down of your religious head covering or ask you to remove it. You have the right to request that the pat-down or removal be conducted by a person of your gender and that it occurs in a private area.

If you do not want the TSA officer to touch your religious head covering, you must refuse and say that you would prefer to pat down your own religious head covering. You will then be taken aside, and a TSA officer will supervise you as you pat down your religious head covering. After the pat-down, the TSA officer may rub your hands with a small cotton cloth and place it in a machine to test for chemical residue.

If you pass this chemical residue test, you should be allowed to proceed to your flight. If the TSA officer insists on the removal of your religious head covering, you have a right to ask that it be done in a private area. Officers may not conduct additional screening based solely on your race, national origin, religion, gender, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

You may opt your children out of an airport scan. However, there is no exemption for children from the pat-down search. Children under 13 years old may leave their shoes, light jackets, and headwear on during screening.

Parents and caregivers flying with and without children are permitted to bring breast milk and formula and ice packs or other accessories required to cool the breast milk or formula in quantities greater than three ounces, as long as you notify the officers about the items at the security checkpoint. When carrying breast milk or formula through the checkpoint, they will be inspected. TSA officials may test the liquids for explosives.

TSA officials may ask you to open the containers during the screening process. Breast milk and formula, along with other liquids and gels, may also be packed in your luggage and checked with your airline. A pilot may not, however, question you or refuse to allow you on a flight because of biased stereotypes, including any based on your religion, race, national origin, gender, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

If you believe you are mistakenly on a list, you should contact the TSA and file an inquiry using the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. More information is available here. If you think there may be some reason for why you have been placed on a list, you should seek the advice of an attorney.

National Immigration Project. Share this issue:. Select a scenario. Related Know Your Rights. What types of law enforcement officers could I encounter when entering or leaving the United States? Print: this section. Share this scenario:. If I am entering the U. Can border officers ask questions about my immigration status? Can U. Do I have to provide my fingerprints when entering the country? Do I have to provide my laptop passwords or unlock my mobile phone for law enforcement officers at the border?

What if I am selected for a strip search at the border? What types of law enforcement officers and other government officials could I encounter during the security screening process at the airport? Can my bags or I be searched after going through metal detectors with no problem or after security sees that my bags do not contain a weapon? What if I wear a religious head covering and I am selected by airport security officials for additional screening? What if I am traveling with children?

What if I am traveling with breast milk or formula? If I am on an airplane, can an airline employee interrogate me or ask me to get off the plane? Religious Freedom.