The American Civil Liberties Union in San Diego sued the U.S. Border Patrol's parent agency Tuesday for records on its activities away from the nation's border with Mexico.
The federal lawsuit seeks records on the agency's so-called "roving patrols" in the San Diego and El Centro sectors in Southern California. The plaintiffs say agents work a considerable distance from the border with Mexico and have reportedly stopped farm workers and residents for questioning in Fallbrook, about 70 miles north of Mexico, and Laguna Beach, nearly 90 miles north.
The complaint is the latest to question the Border Patrol's activities away from the border, whether at highway checkpoints or on roving patrols.
According to the ACLU, federal law allows the Border Patrol to make warrantless stops and seizures within a "reasonable distance" of the border. Regulations have defined that distance as 100 miles from land and sea borders, which encompasses about two-thirds of the nation's population and nine of the country's 10 largest cities.
The lawsuit names the Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection unit, which includes the Border Patrol. It said the agencies haven't produced records requested under the Freedom of Information Act in July.
Customs and Border Protection had no immediate comment.
The plaintiffs are the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties and University of California, Irvine School of Law's Immigrant Rights Clinic.
