Minnesota Woman Claims TSA Privileges Revoked After Border Patrol Confrontation
A Minnesota resident is claiming that her TSA PreCheck and Global Entry memberships were revoked just three days after a confrontation with an immigration agent. Nicole Cleland, who actively monitors ICE and Border Patrol activities in her community, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security.
On January 10, shortly after the tragic shooting of activist Renee Good in Minneapolis, Cleland was driving when she noticed a white Dodge Ram operated by federal officials. Concerned about a potential raid on a nearby apartment building, she and another observer decided to follow the vehicle.
“An agent exited the vehicle and approached my vehicle,” Cleland recounted. “I remained in my vehicle. The agent addressed me by my name and informed me that they had ‘facial recognition’ and that his body cam was recording.”
The Border Patrol agent, dressed in full camouflage, warned Cleland that she was obstructing their operations. He issued a verbal warning, stating that any further interference could lead to her arrest.
Cleland, a 56-year-old director at Target, complied and drove away. However, later that week, she received an email notifying her of the change in her travel privileges. “The notification did provide some reasons that my status may have changed and the only one that makes sense was: ‘The applicant has been found in violation of any customs, immigration, or agriculture regulations, procedures, or laws in any country,’” she explained in her declaration.
“I was not detained, I was not arrested, so it’s difficult to understand how I was ‘found in violation,’” she added. Given the timing of the notification, Cleland suspects it was a retaliatory measure for her actions during the encounter.
She expressed concerns about potential future detentions or actions against her family. “The interaction with the agents on January 10 made me feel angry and intimidated,” Cleland stated. “I have been through Legal Observer Training and know my rights. I believe that I did not do anything that warranted being stopped in the way that I was.”
When asked if Cleland's loss of travel privileges was directly linked to the incident, a DHS spokesperson responded: “There has been no new directive from Customs and Border Protection on Global Entry revocations.” They also clarified that body-worn cameras are used to document encounters but do not include facial recognition technology.
Reports indicate that federal agents have been utilizing an app called Mobile Fortify during operations related to immigration enforcement. This app can scan faces and capture fingerprints to identify individuals quickly.
According to media sources, Cleland is among several American citizens who have reported being recorded with facial recognition technology by ICE agents in Minneapolis this month, as evidenced by verified social media videos.
