AUBURN, WA – Auburn has disabled the “National Lookup” feature of its Flock camera system after the U.S. Border Patrol gained unauthorized access. The city stated the system is for criminal law enforcement, not immigration enforcement, and is implementing monthly reviews to ensure compliance and revoke access for any agency using the data for immigration purposes.
In a Monday Facebook post, the city of Auburn announced that the U.S. Border Patrol gained direct access to its Flock system, an automated network of license plate reader cameras used by law enforcement, businesses and neighborhoods to fight crime.
The University of Washington Center for Human Rights on Tuesday issued a report revealing that the U.S. Border Patrol had conducted thousands of searches using data from more than 30 Washington state law enforcement agencies, with some of them not realizing the federal agency had access.
“We want to state clearly: this access occurred unknowingly to us. The City of Auburn has not knowingly allowed, nor will we allow direct access to our Flock system by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, or any other federal immigration enforcement agency,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus wrote in the Facebook post.
In a statement, Auburn police said the agency is still investigating how Border Patrol gained access to its Flock system and is working to revoke access to any agency using the data for immigration purposes.
“The integrity of our public safety systems, and the trust our community places in them, is non-negotiable,” wrote Backus. “We will continue to take every measure necessary to safeguard our data, uphold state law, and ensure our technology is used only for lawful and ethical policing purposes.”
The Center Square reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.
“Like other law enforcement agencies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employs various forms of technology to investigate violations of the law, while appropriately respecting civil liberties and privacy interests,” a DHS spokesperson said in an email. “In general, the agency does not provide specifics on investigative techniques, tools, and/or ongoing investigations or operations.”
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told The Center Square he’s no fan of the Flock cameras, but says city officials in Auburn can’t have it both ways.
“George Orwell would be proud,” the state representative said. “Bureaucrats working for the city of Auburn say they are ‘committed to transparency’ by withholding data related to federal law enforcement investigations. That’s a self-refuting proposition.”
He went on to say, “If Auburn doesn’t want ICE looking at these pictures, Auburn needs to take down its ‘Big Brother’ surveillance system. City bureaucrats can’t have it both ways, no matter how many sanctimonious press releases they put out.”
The majority of comments in response to Backus’ Facebook post about Border Patrol accessing the Flock system were sharply critical of the city.
“Why wouldn’t you want them to have access to it? If they are searching for a criminal, wouldn’t you want them to find the criminal?” one person asked.
“So, which laws are you committed to not enforcing[?]” asked another.
“Is the FBI aware that you are refusing to share criminal data with federal law enforcement?” someone asked.
“Too bad, we’d all feel and be safer if ICE were allowed to do their job, especially if their fellow law enforcement agencies worked with them,” read another comment. “Decisions to separate agencies [are] just another wedge creating division and discontent.”
Walsh noted the selective enforcement of laws with the Flock cameras is an even greater concern for him.
“This issue goes beyond just ICE,” he said. “The bureaucrats think that they get to decide how the information is used, and therefore, they get to decide which laws are enforced. That’s the bigger problem.”
