Former La Mesa Pastor Sues DHS Over Border Surveillance Program

Speaker 1: 00:00 Earlier this year and NBC San Diego Investigation uncovered a secret government database of activists, lawyers, and journalists working across the US. Mexico border and screenshots of the internal database were provided to NBC seven by a Homeland Security source. Individuals on the list include journalists and attorney and dozens of others labeled by the u s government as an organizer or instigator. Now a former La Mesa pastor has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security accusing DHS of targeting her as part of that program and violating her first amendment rights. Reverend Kazi Dosha, who now leads a church in New York joins us now. Reverend Dosha, welcome. Speaker 2: 00:43 Thank you so much for having me. Speaker 1: 00:45 How did you learn your name was included in the database and what was your reaction? Speaker 2: 00:50 Well on January 2nd of this year, I crossed the border in a way that I had for so many times as a pastor in San Diego, but something was different this time because I was detained and interrogated to try to come back into my own country for several hours. And so that sort of raised the flag for me for when I saw the initial report from NBC that there was a list of people who they listed as activists and advocates and lawyers and humanitarian workers who were on this secret government surveillance list. And I said, hmm, some of the things that happened to them sound like what happened to me. And then somebody who was on the list encouraged me to reach out to Tom Jones at NBC. And within just minutes he sent me back this photo, my passport photo with a yellow cross hairs across my face, the ex saying that my century had been revoked and that the flag was placed on my passport and so forth. And as soon as I saw it, I just burst into tears. Speaker 1: 01:58 What kinds of questions were you asked? Speaker 2: 02:00 Well, first there were simple questions, which seems to reveal that they were well aware of who I was. Who was I meeting with? Why would they know I was meeting with someone in Tijuana? What kinds of organizations, where did I go? What kind of work do I do? They asked me things like, are you coaching people to come across the border illegally? Why would you do that? And of course I, which was just shocking to me because why would my government thing that I'm coaching someone to do anything illegal because I don't do anything illegal. I, all I do is pray with people and help them. Speaker 1: 02:38 So was there ever a breakthrough moment in this conversation and are in their line of questioning? Speaker 2: 02:44 Several, because I'm a Christian and I'm not just called to serve the migrants, I'm also called the serve the agents. These agents have a lot of latitude and a lot of power and they can move beyond just following orders. And so while I was talking to them in this interrogation, and while that was wrong to have to go through and something that I contend shouldn't have happened, I really did see it as an opportunity if it had to happen for me to show them some compassion and perhaps encouraged them to make different choices in their future. Speaker 1: 03:18 Did they ever say why you were on this list? Speaker 2: 03:22 I asked several times that they wouldn't answer. Speaker 1: 03:25 We reached out to DHS and they're not commenting on your lawsuit, but in response to NBC seven's initial report, customs and Border Protection officials said that gathering intelligence and investigating criminal activity as part of their job. What do you make of that explanation? Speaker 2: 03:41 I believe that is part of their job, but the question is why would you claim that there's criminal activity from a pastor who is not who they know very well is not doing any criminal activities. And ice officer said to me, we know what you do. We know your network. We know your network better than you do actually who sent to me? So DHS is well aware that I'm not doing anything criminal. I believe that to be, I guess the lawyers have taught me this term pretextual a way of claiming something that isn't so much true to justify what they've done and that really is not okay. Speaker 1: 04:18 And Customs and border protection officials have also said they were interested in talking with people who were at the border when border agents clashed with migrants last year. Were you there when that happened? Speaker 2: 04:29 I was not there and uh, and I can definitely prove it. And if they had just done a basic search of my flights and everything, they would know that I was nowhere near either of the two that have been documented of the clashes. Speaker 1: 04:45 And tell us more about your work with migrants in Tijuana. Speaker 2: 04:49 Well, it's my great honor as a pastor to be able to minister to people and because I was a pastor in Lamesa and had relationships with people in the, in the neighborhood, honestly, you know, and let my sons 20 miles, my church was like 20 miles from the border. When things started to look complicated at the border, I realized that there might be something about the ministry we had in New York that we could offer in at the border during the, but me personally. What I did was to go down and pray with people. I officiated with several other clergy members for 17 weddings for people who were too poor to be able to afford a church blessed wedding in their home country. We prayed with people, we offered them anointed things we just gave them. We listened to their confessions and things that were really burdened on their hearts and then offered them the path to redemption of really was one of the holiest experiences of my life. Speaker 1: 05:49 And what are you seeking through your lawsuit? Speaker 2: 05:51 I just need to go back to understanding that I have the freedom of any other US citizens to cross the border, to have access to return to my country as needed and to not be impeded from offering my ministry to people either here in the u s in New York City in San Diego or in Tijuana. I've been speaking with Reverend Kazi [inaudible]. Reverend Dosha, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. Speaker 3: 06:22 [inaudible].