US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has submitted a report on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, but instead of answering questions posed by Congress, it gave a self-written Q&A. The agency's lack of transparency in responding to queries from lawmakers is raising concerns about its accountability.
The CBP had been under pressure to produce a mandated report on Pretti's killing, which occurred during an enforcement action near Minneapolis. However, the agency responded with a Q&A session instead of providing concrete information. This has sparked criticism that the organization is avoiding scrutiny and failing to provide transparency.
In the Q&A, the CBP repeatedly defers to other agencies for answers to its own questions. For example, when asked if agents were wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting, the agency responds that it "defers to the investigating agencies." This lack of clarity has left many wondering about what really happened during the incident.
The report has come at a time when lawmakers are increasingly agitated with the lack of transparency from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The House and Senate Homeland Security Committees have called for the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP to testify before their committees. The incident has raised concerns about the use of force by federal agents and the need for greater accountability.
The Intercept reports that CBP is legally required to provide reports on use of force, but ICE is not held to the same standard. Last January, President Donald Trump rescinded a Biden executive order on law enforcement data, releasing ICE from its obligation to provide Congress with information on use of force by their agents. This decision has likely limited the release of new information about ICE agent Jonathan Ross's fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Critics argue that the lack of transparency from DHS and CBP is a threat to democracy, as it allows authoritarian leaders to undermine the rule of law. The Intercept is one of few organizations providing in-depth reporting on these issues, but its growth is dependent on public support.
The incident highlights the need for greater accountability and transparency within government agencies. As lawmakers continue to push for answers, it remains to be seen whether CBP will provide more concrete information about Pretti's killing.
The CBP had been under pressure to produce a mandated report on Pretti's killing, which occurred during an enforcement action near Minneapolis. However, the agency responded with a Q&A session instead of providing concrete information. This has sparked criticism that the organization is avoiding scrutiny and failing to provide transparency.
In the Q&A, the CBP repeatedly defers to other agencies for answers to its own questions. For example, when asked if agents were wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting, the agency responds that it "defers to the investigating agencies." This lack of clarity has left many wondering about what really happened during the incident.
The report has come at a time when lawmakers are increasingly agitated with the lack of transparency from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The House and Senate Homeland Security Committees have called for the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP to testify before their committees. The incident has raised concerns about the use of force by federal agents and the need for greater accountability.
The Intercept reports that CBP is legally required to provide reports on use of force, but ICE is not held to the same standard. Last January, President Donald Trump rescinded a Biden executive order on law enforcement data, releasing ICE from its obligation to provide Congress with information on use of force by their agents. This decision has likely limited the release of new information about ICE agent Jonathan Ross's fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Critics argue that the lack of transparency from DHS and CBP is a threat to democracy, as it allows authoritarian leaders to undermine the rule of law. The Intercept is one of few organizations providing in-depth reporting on these issues, but its growth is dependent on public support.
The incident highlights the need for greater accountability and transparency within government agencies. As lawmakers continue to push for answers, it remains to be seen whether CBP will provide more concrete information about Pretti's killing.
. I mean, Congress is trying to get some answers and the agency is just passing the buck? That's not exactly what you'd call transparency, you know? 
It's like they're saying "we don't know" but actually we do... or at least we have some idea 
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. We need to make sure that our government agencies are held to high standards of transparency and accountability. Anything less is just not right in my book 
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it's already pretty concerning that ice isn't held to the same standard as cbp when it comes to reporting on use of force. this whole thing is just a big red flag 
... I mean, what even is going on with the CBP? They're supposed to be transparent and accountable, but instead they just give a Q&A that's like, totally vague 
. It's not cool when agencies avoid giving concrete info and just deflect to other agencies. That's not how you build trust 
... especially when it comes to issues like use of force by federal agents. We need more accountability, period 
! Can't wait to see what happens next 
. Like, can't we just get some real answers around here? The CBP's Q&A session is just a bunch of dodging and weaving 
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. I know it sounds dramatic, but hear me out: when you can't trust the people who are supposed to be serving us, that's a problem. And I think the fact that ICE is exempt from reporting on use of force is just another example of how broken our system is 
. If we don't speak up, who will? We deserve better than this lack of transparency 
. It's like they're trying to avoid scrutiny, which is super problematic. I mean, Congress asked some legit questions and the CBP just shrugged and said "we don't know" 
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. And honestly, it's kinda fishy that CBP is deflecting questions to other agencies when we should be getting straight answers from them 
. It's time for the US government to step up its game and provide us with some real answers 
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. I mean, you'd think that after something like this happens, the agency would want to come clean and give some answers. But instead they just dodge and weave with these vague Q&As... it's like they're trying to avoid scrutiny altogether 
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- this whole thing with the US Customs and Border Protection agency is super shady 
. I mean, who submits a Q&A as an answer to Congress? It just seems like they're trying to avoid getting called out on what really happened during that enforcement action near Minneapolis 
, it's like they think they're above the law or something. And what's up with deferring to other agencies for answers? That just sounds like a fancy way of saying "we don't want to take responsibility" 
. We need more accountability, not less. The fact that ICE isn't held to the same standard as CBP is just another example of how messed up our system is 
According to a Pew Research Center survey, 63% of respondents said that the public's trust in institutions would be increased if there was more transparency and less secrecy.
The agency's response rate on its Q&A is also pretty low - only 22% of questions were answered in the report, which doesn't exactly fill us with confidence 
. Meanwhile, CBP has an approval rating of just 45% among the public