The Postal Inspection Service joins immigration crackdown under Trump's executive orders
U.S. Postal Service reportedly aiding Trump administration's migration expulsion efforts
Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) applauds the White House's progress in combating illegal immigration and discusses spending reductions in President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' on 'The Bottom Line.'
Reports suggest that a law enforcement division within the U.S. Postal Service is supporting the Trump administration's efforts to locate suspected illegal immigrants.
According to The Washington Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter and documents it obtained, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is now part of a DHS task force focusing on finding, detaining, and deporting unauthorized immigrants.
The report indicates that immigration officials seek access to an Inspection Service program called "mail covers," which captures images of the exterior of envelopes and packages. They also want access to the Inspection Service's surveillance systems, including data from online postal accounts, package- and mail-tracking information, credit cards, financial information, IP addresses, and more.
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The reported involvement of the Postal Inspection Service in enforcing immigration laws marks a departure from its traditional duties, as it has been long associated with enforcing other laws. This shift stems from President Trump's executive order, which asks agencies to assist with immigration probes[1][3].
A senior DHS official explained, "Under President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security will use every tool and resource available to secure our border and get criminal illegal aliens out of our country... These actions are a key part of ensuring law enforcement has the resources they need to fulfill President Trump's promise to the American people to remove violent criminals from our streets, dismantle drug and human trafficking operations, and make America safe again."
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Established in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin, the Postal Inspection Service boasts broad investigatory powers related to crimes involving the postal system. This includes over 200 federal statutes and securing high-value post offices, facilities, and equipment as well as guarding against threats to postal workers[3].
The agency plays a crucial role in interdicting postal shipments of illegal narcotics, such as opioids, by employing tools to detect those aiming to exploit the postal system. The Postal Inspection Service has a long-standing role in countering the sexual exploitation of children by investigating, targeting, and arresting those responsible for child pornography[3].
The Postal Inspection Service investigates instances of mail theft, identity theft, mail fraud, money laundering, cybercrime, and handles suspicious mailings and restores service to communities after disasters[3].
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While the Postal Inspection Service's involvement in immigration enforcement activities has generated privacy and due process concerns, as well as criticism regarding the use of the Postal Service for immigration enforcement, it has collaborated with agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in these operations[2].
- The shift in the US Postal Inspection Service's duties to include immigration enforcement is part of a debate on policy-and-legislation and politics, given the controversy over the use of the Postal Service for such purposes.
- The collaboration between the Postal Inspection Service and other agencies like ICE, FBI, and IRS in immigration enforcement activities raises concerns about general-news issues such as privacy and due process, especially in light of the agency's involvement in sensitive areas like mail covers and online postal accounts. Additionally, concerns about crime-and-justice implications arise with the access given to financial information, credit cards, IP addresses, and more.
