Border Stop

Since tracking began in 2017, 10 journalists have been stopped for secondary screening while covering the migrant caravan.

Total cases	44

BuzzFeed News reporter aggressively questioned about reporting at passport checkpoint

February 3, 2019

A Customs and Border Protection agent aggressively questioned Australian BuzzFeed News reporter David Mack about his work at a passport …

Journalist stopped at the border for the second time, camera searched

January 26, 2019

Manuel Rapalo, a freelance journalist, was stopped and pulled aside for additional screening measures while entering the United States via …

Journalist denied entry into Mexico found on government’s secret database

January 17, 2019

Freelance photojournalist Kitra Cahana had an alert placed on her passport and was entered into a database authorized by the …

Independent filmmaker stopped for second time while crossing U.S.-Mexico border, car and phone searched

January 6, 2019

An independent documentary filmmaker was stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border twice by U.S. officials while following the migrant caravan for a film project. The second stop included a search of his equipment.The filmmaker, a foreign citizen who is based in the U.S., told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that in December 2018 he was crossing the San Ysidro border near San Diego, California, when he was stopped and held for several hours after being recognized for his work by a …

Journalist stopped at the US-Mexico border, questioned about immigration reporting

January 5, 2019

Manuel Rapalo, a freelance journalist, was stopped and pulled aside for additional screening measures while entering the United States via …

Photojournalist pulled into secondary screening at border

January 5, 2019

Mark Abramson, a freelance photojournalist, was pulled into secondary screening by U.S. border officials while returning from Mexico on Jan. …

Photojournalist questioned at San Ysidro border, separated from camera

January 4, 2019

On Jan. 4, 2019, freelance photojournalist Ariana Drehsler was stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border and subjected to secondary screening measures …

Photojournalist questioned at U.S.-Mexico border for second time

January 2, 2019

Freelance photojournalist Ariana Drehsler was stopped for a secondary screening and questioned while entering the United States from Mexico on …

More Incidents

How we track Border Stops

Journalists stopped at the border and subjected to prolonged, invasive questioning or who have their electronic devices searched or are asked to provide passwords. We count border stops even if we are unable to draw a direct connection between the stop and the journalist’s work activities, because the resistance of U.S. authorities to provide information makes it extremely difficult to identify the motive and because invasive questioning or device searches could jeopardize source confidentiality no matter the motive. Not every stop at the border is a press freedom violation, but we believe it is essential to capture patterns related to these stops. This category also includes cases where journalists are prevented from entering the country if it appears that their inability to enter the country is related to their work.