Thread by @uspresstracker

News editor for @DefenseOne, @natsecwatson, was harassed at Dulles International Airport as a CBP officer withholds his passport until he says that he writes ‘propaganda’ : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson Including Watson, the @uspresstracker has documented 12 journalists stopped crossing a U.S. border and subjected to invasive questioning about their work so far in 2019—some had their electronic devices or reporting materials searched. Here are those cases :

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson “I used to work in Nigeria so I’m used to being intimidated by officials, but when it happened in the U.S. I was shocked.”

@BBCNews journalist @stephhegarty was invasively questioned about her reporting in Mexico by U.S. border authorities in August : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty While filming in Mexico, an independent filmmaker (who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation) was stopped for hours multiple times at the border. During his most recent stop in Jan. 2019, his equipment and phone were searched : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty Editor & writer for @empiremagazine, @jamescdyer, says CBP agent confronted him because of his journalist visa, asking him if he’s “part of the ‘fake news media,’” stating that “journalists are liars and are attacking their democracy” : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer .@NateAbaurrea, a freelance journalist who is also the voice of @Xolos, a Tijuana football club, was stopped by border officials while crossing into Mexico in May. A CBP official took a photograph of his passport card : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos Seth Harp of @RollingStone was stopped for secondary screening at the U.S.-Mexico border; CBP officers searched his equipment and digital identity after he told them he had no legal obligation to disclose what he was reporting on : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone Freelance journalist Manuel Rapalo was stopped three times in 2019. Each time, he was held for hours while his luggage, notebooks and/or photos were searched, and was questioned about his reporting and methods : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone Australian @BuzzFeed reporter @davidmackau was aggressively questioned about his reporting. Days later, a CBP official apologized for the “inappropriate remarks made to him.” : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone @BuzzFeed @davidmackau Photojournalist @adrehsler was stopped twice in 2019 and once in 2018 while re-entering the U.S. CBP asked her about her coverage of the migrant caravan, about the organizers and activists, and separated her from her phone and camera : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone @BuzzFeed @davidmackau @adrehsler Freelance photojournalist Kitra Cahana was sent to secondary screening twice while en route to Mexico City in Jan. She was also one of several journalists flagged in a DHS database of individuals connected with the #migrantcaravan : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone @BuzzFeed @davidmackau @adrehsler Freelance photojournalist Mark Abramson was pulled into secondary screening by CBP while returning from Mexico on Jan. 5; officers separated him from his phone, and asked about his assignments and knowledge on the caravan’s organizers : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone @BuzzFeed @davidmackau @adrehsler Spanish freelance photojournalist Emilio Fraile was questioned in secondary screening by CBP while traveling from Tijuana, to San Diego, in Jan. 2019; officers asked to see his photos and for information on the #migrantcaravan : pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/…

@DefenseOne @natsecwatson @BBCNews @stephhegarty @empiremagazine @jamescdyer @NateAbaurrea @Xolos @RollingStone @BuzzFeed @davidmackau @adrehsler If you are a journalist—or know of one—who has been stopped for secondary screening and questioned about your work or had devices searched by U.S. officials while crossing the border, we want to hear about it: DM or email [e-mail].