CUSTOMS REFORMS
After Whistleblowers and Traveler's Complaints the
following changes occurred: 
1. Congressional and Senatorial hearings took place.
2. The entire Personal Search Handbook was rewritten several times.
3. Two bills were introduced to protect international travelers
“The Reasonable Search Standards Act" by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) in 1999 & 2001” and the “Civil Rights for International Travelers Act" by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) in 1999 & 2001.
4. New and updated brochures, signs and other informational material including the Customs declaration were rewritten and reproduced.
5. The decision to conduct a personal search of a passenger must now be decided by a GS-12, supervisor rather than a non-supervisory inspector, including a brand new Customs Inspector.
6. The Customs Managers at the GS-14 or GS-15 levels must now approve all x-ray examinations of passengers at hospitals.
7. After a passenger is taken into a search room, if the search last longer than 2 hours - Customs supervisors will make a phone call to a person of the passenger’s choice to tell them they are held up in Customs.
8. Customs now requires that all Secondary Data collections include race.
9. CBP Officers are now wearing name tags so they can be easily identified for complaint letters.
10. Body scan machines can now take the place of pat-down inspections
CEADA’s goal is to form "Civilian Review Boards"
which will be looking at the following actions:
1. To have legislators reintroduce the "Reasonable Search Standards Act" and the "Civil Rights for International Travelers Act" (new name should be "Civil Rights for Domestic and International Traveler's Act.")
2. To remove innocent travelers off government's domestic and international "no fly" watch lists.
3. Urge the Senate and Congress to take immediate action and order GAO investigations and conduct hearings into the internal practices of Customs and Border Protection especially the new harsh Tables of Offenses under DHS.
4. Urge legislators to hire sociologists and psychologists to study the personal search procedures as suggested by the June 2000 Independent Panel Report.
5. Urge legislators to hire outside contract workers to conduct mandatory extensive training (integrity, sensitivity, cultural diversity, EEO and Sexual Harassment, etc.) as suggested by the 2000 Independent Panel Report.
6. Ensure minority female supervisors (front-line, first-line) GS-12s are recruited nationally.
7. Review new body scanner machines which are showing the private parts of travelers.
8. Ensure that the two hour rule is enforced – giving travelers the right to contact a person of their choosing after they have been escorted into search rooms.
9. Rehire or compensate all former Customs employees that were terminated under the reign of the former Customs Commissioner Raymond Kelly aka “The Hackett Man” (over 100 whistleblowers and others) or the BUSH administration. Kelly gave orders in a high-level management meeting in Headquarters to go after anyone who files an EEO complaint.
10. There needs to be an independent panel or group formed to delete the illegal records that Customs Inspectors have put in their computers over the years. If you where a person of color and matched any of the following - a permanent record was made up on you in the Customs computer:
1) wearing an afrocentric hairstyle or attire
2) having an afrocentric name
3) wearing any type of headgear
4) wearing thick-soled shoes
5) wearing bulky clothing
6) live in a low income area
7) live in a high narcotic area
8) having a low paying job
9) if you are unemployed
10) purchased ticket in cash
11) purchased ticket 1 or 2 days prior to trip
12) if you went on a short trip
13) if you are traveling along
14) if you are carrying only one piece of luggage
15) if you are traveling from a source country (Jamaica or Africa)
16) if you have a foreign look or have foreign accent (Caribbean or African)
17) if you are nervous
18) if you are too polite or too argumentative
19) if you are wearing sunglasses
20) if you are acting ill
Since the media attention has decreased, and since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in March 2003, CEADA has been receiving reports that the Customs and Border Protection is once again harassing these travelers, particularly women.
The agency must be cleaned up internally in order to hold the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable on what is happening externally with nationwide harassment of travelers.
The public needs to get involved and continue to inform their elected officials of the abuses and tell them to support new Whistleblower legislation.
Everyone must continue to monitor the changes at the Customs and Border Protection (www.cbp.gov) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (www.dhs.gov)
And read the steps to alleviate stress and trauma in international traveling outlined in “The Failure of Homeland In-Security: The Government’s Dirty Little Secrets from an Insider (www.HomelandIn-Security.com)" which will be released in 2009.
