Elijah Lewis: “Mr. Chairman, I must tell you I rise in strong opposition to the Customs Border Security Act of 2001, H.R. 3129. This…”

“Mr. Chairman, I must tell you I rise in strong opposition to the Customs Border Security Act of 2001, H.R. 3129. This bill threatens to violate and weaken the civil rights of innocent passengers by granting Customs officers immunity from lawsuits involving personal searches. H.R. 3129 would increase the chances of racial profiling and illegal searches. This bill will also violate personal privacy by expanding the power of the Customs Service to search mail leaving the United States without a warrant. While I, like many, appreciate the attempts made by the Customs Service to address its poor record of racial profiling of passengers, now is not the time to grant Customs officers immunity from lawsuits. Civil lawsuits against government officials and agencies are an important deterrent to racial profiling and unconstitutional and unlawful searches. As public officials, Customs agents already have qualified immunity, which is more than adequate to protect them if acting within the scope of their official authority.”