“I am concerned that the Border Patrol and other federal enforcement agencies now have my license plate and personal information, and that I may be detained or arrested again in the future,” he wrote. “I am concerned about further actions that may be taken against me or my family. I have instructed my family to be alert and return inside if they see an unfamiliar vehicle outside our home.”
Cleland said she has not had any surveillance by federal agents since January 10, but has “continued to engage in peaceful protests” and is “assessing when I will return to active surveillance.”
We contacted the Department of Homeland Security about Cleland’s announcement and will update this article when we hear back.
widespread use of facial recognition
Federal agents have made extensive use of facial recognition during President Trump’s immigration crackdown with Clearview AI’s technology and a face-scanning app called Mobile Fortify. They use facial recognition technology to verify citizenship and identify protesters.
The New York Times reported today, “According to local activists and videos posted on social media, Ms. Cleland was one of at least seven American citizens reported by ICE agents this month to be being recorded with facial recognition technology in and around Minneapolis.”
ICE also uses a variety of other technologies, including cell-site simulators (or Stingrays) to track phone locations and Palantir software to help identify potential deportation targets.
Although Cleland vowed to continue the protest and eventually return to inspect ICE and CBP agents, her announcement said she felt intimidated after the recent incident.
“The conversation with agents on January 10 left me feeling angry and scared,” he wrote. “I have gone through legal observer training and know my rights. I believe I did nothing to deserve to be stopped the way I was stopped on January 10.”
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