By: Heath Haussamen, SPJ Rio Grande board member
Journalists from as far away as Albuquerque and El Paso attended Saturday’s training in Las Cruces to learn about their rights when encountering federal immigration enforcement agents.
In all, 23 people from the region attended the training, which was sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Rio Grande Chapter and ACLU. If you missed it, here are a couple of posts that delve into the nuances of your rights when encountering immigration authorities:
ACLU: Can Border Agents Search Your Electronic Devices? It’s Complicated.
ProPublica: Can Customs and Border Officials Search Your Phone? These Are Your Rights
In addition, here’s a great resource on protecting your digital information:
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF
Thanks to the ACLU for conducting the training and Sonoma Springs Covenant Church in Las Cruces for hosting it! We believe the journalists who were able to participate are better equipped to understand their rights when they encounter federal immigration authorities – and that will help them be more comfortable covering important border and immigration issues, which is the goal.
