Report finds big drop in FBI's use of intelligence database to search for information on Americans
New federal statistics show a steep decrease in the number of times the FBI searched a vast foreign intelligence repository for information about Americans and others in the United States last year.
The number of 'U.S. person queries' plunged from 57,094 in 2023 to 5,518 in 2024, according to the report published Monday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The report details the use of a surveillance program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, that allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners located in other countries — including when they are in contact with Americans or other people inside the U.S.
National security officials have said the program is vital to protecting the country, but civil liberties advocates have condemned it as a violation of Americans' privacy.
The report concludes that the decrease is due in large part to the adoption of tighter rules governing the program, including a requirement that the FBI enter a justification for a database query about an American before conducting it.
The numbers have dropped consistently in recent years. In 2022, the FBI racked up nearly 120,000 U.S. person queries.
Former President Joe Biden signed legislation reauthorizing the surveillance law last year after debates over civil liberty protections nearly forced the statute to lapse.
A key source of concern — uniting an unusual alliance of far-right Republican supporters of President Donald Trump with Democratic champions of civil liberties — is that FBI analysts have repeatedly run improper or unjustified database queries about people in the U.S.
The surveillance tool was first authorized in 2008.
The latest figures are included in an annual report, mandated by law, that provides statistical data about a broad array of the U.S. government's surveillance powers.
The FBI had no immediate comment on the report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jesus Cruz polished luxury cars at an LA car wash for a decade. Then ICE showed up
When immigration agents pulled up outside a Los Angeles car wash on a quiet Sunday afternoon, it sparked instant customers at the Westchester Hand Wash, which sits in the centre of a busy shopping area just blocks from the city's airport, froze as the officers in olive-green uniforms approached, CCTV footage obtained by the BBC employees who spotted them ducked behind a luxury SUV they were wiping down with a rag. Another worker halfway through cleaning the back window of a car looked all at once they scattered and ran, some jumping over a nearby fence as agents raced after them on foot and in US Customs and Border Protection pick-up came the following day to make more arrests. Jesus Cruz, who has worked at the car wash for more than a decade and lived in the US for more than 30 years, was among the six men who were arrested over the course of two raids. His wife, Noemi, told the BBC she was shopping with her daughter when she spotted a social media post about a possible raid. It included a photo of the car wash, so she dropped her daughter at home and raced the time she arrived, however, she was too late. She has not been able to reach her husband since. "You are so used to having a partner there, just to help you out, to be the backbone… now it's like - how am I going to do it?" she said."My husband has no criminal background. He's never gotten a ticket before. We pay our taxes. We're up to date on everything."The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to an inquiry about Mr Cruz's legal status or the goal of the operation at the car raid at the car wash, and similar ones across Los Angeles, represent a significant escalation in the White House's strategy to round up and deport undocumented migrants. On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump repeatedly said he would prioritise deporting noncitizens accused of violent crimes. That promise received widespread support, even among Hispanic immigrant groups. But in recent weeks, the administration has stepped up its targets, pushing to increase their arrests from about 660 to 3,000 a day. To do that, they have widened their net, targeting not just criminals but workplaces where many undocumented workers do jobs that are vital for the economy - from farming to factory work - and pay taxes."Just go out there and arrest illegal aliens," Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, reportedly told Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials before they launched the recent LA raids. According to the Wall Street Journal, he told them they did not need to produce target lists of suspected illegal immigrants, a longstanding practice, and should instead raid major businesses to arrest as many as possible. Car-wash owner Mehmet Aydogan said the agents did not ask for IDs before placing the men in handcuffs and swiftly driving them away."They were not doing anything criminal," he said, noting the raids were quick and lasted less than a minute. "Everyone is hard working."Days earlier, another operation at Ambiance Apparel, a clothing wholesale business in the Fashion District near downtown LA, had set the city on edge. More than a dozen people were arrested, witnesses said, although DHS did not respond to a BBC inquiry about this operation and the total number of tsar Tom Homan denied that agents were conducting an immigration raid at Ambiance. He said it was a criminal investigation that also uncovered undocumented immigrants."I said it from day one: if you're in the country illegally, you're not off the table," he told the New York Times Lopez was one of several witnesses who started posting on Instagram about the operation, before a large group of protesters formed outside, trying to prevent the workers from being taken away. Officials eventually deployed flash bangs and tear gas to push past the crowd - one of the first protests in the LA area as the spate of immigration raids kicked off."It's sad that it's hardworking people," he said about those arrested. "And they're trying to make it seem like it's bad people."Protests first broke out on 6 June, with confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents in the streets, before spreading more widely and at times turning violent. Hundreds have been arrested and an overnight curfew in one area is being enforcement agencies have said the protests will not deter their operations. President Trump has deployed the national guard and US Marines to help ensure the immigration crackdown continues. These raids have hit Los Angeles County especially hard, where estimates suggest more than 900,000 people do not have legal status, about 10% of the population. Hispanics here outnumber any other ethnic background by a large margin - and many in the community who are citizens or legal residents have family who are undocumented."I can't emphasise enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now," the city's Mayor Karen Bass said at news conference. "Not knowing if it's tomorrow or tonight. It might be where they live. It might be their workplace. Should you send your kids to school? Should you go to work?"Social media has been used to inform communities about sightings of immigration authorities, but also to spread misinformation. The unease caused one local minority non-profit to urge undocumented people to just stay out of sight. It offered volunteers to run errands or go grocery shopping for families so they can remain say it's a mystery when and where immigration officers will show up next. Immigration agencies do not typically announce where raids have happened, nor do they announce all arrests or where detainees are being held or jailed - adding to the anxiety. But what exactly comes next as raids continue is still nationwide in recent days have netted hundreds of arrests, including recent operations in agricultural sectors and a meat-packing plant in Nebraska. In response, protests have spurred in all corners of the country - including in major US cities like New York, Dallas, Washington and Boston."California may be first - but it clearly won't end here," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an evening address on Tuesday. "Other states are next."Immigration attorney Karla Navarrete, who is representing multiple people who have been arrested in the immigration sweeps, said the mass arrests have overwhelmed the system. Databases aren't being updated with arrests, families and lawyers cannot find those who have been detained and when they do the person sometimes is in a different state or has already been deported to another Cruz, whose husband was arrested at the car wash, said she learned late on Tuesday that he was no longer in Los Angeles, or even the state of California. She learned through her lawyer that he is being held at a detention centre in El Paso, Texas, more than 800 miles (1,300km) from their youngest child - a five-year-old boy - is having the hardest time with the change, she said."He just keeps asking for his dad. I don't know what to tell him," she added, through tears. "He doesn't understand what is going on. He still thinks his dad is at work."
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Homeland Security turns on Kim Kardashian after reality star is mocked over ICE criticism
The Department of Homeland Security joined the growing number of voices hitting out at Kim Kardashian for her criticism of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Los Angeles. The 44-year-old reality television star took to Instagram on Tuesday night to advocate for the immigrants being torn apart from their families in President Donald Trump 's ongoing crackdown on those in the country illegally. 'When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals - great,' the mother-of-four wrote as riots in the city continued. 'But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right.' Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed the reality star for her comment as she doubled down on the Trump administration's assertions that the ICE operations in Los Angeles are targeting convicted criminals. '@KimKardashian, which one of these convicted child molesters, murderers, drug traffickers and rapists would you like to stay in the country,' McLaughlin posted on X, sharing photos of four individuals she said ICE arrested in recent days from the City of Angels. 'These are just a few of the convicted illegal criminals who have been picked up in the last 72 hours.' Others accused the billionaire - who is good friends with Ivanka Trump - of virtue signaling. 'Eh not buying it,' one Reddit user said. 'She needs to call out her friend Trump by name directly if she wants people think she's being genuine. 'These deportations have been going on for years since the first Trump admin and she only decides to speak up when it's convenient, when people will question her silence if she doesn't.' 'Why doesn't she just call up her bestie Ivanka?!' another asked. 'C'mon Kim - get your a** up and WORK.' A third blasted: 'This is for public perception only. She has a direct line to the Trump/Kushner clan. Wtf is she telling us for? Call up your bestie, Kimberly.' 'She's got Ivanka on speed dial,' a fourth agreed. 'She could easily go that route, if need be.' 'Every time I see Kim K virtue signal I die a little inside,' added another. 'You say "damned if you do" as if she's "doing" anything,' said a sixth. 'She has a direct line to the Trumps and could call that f**ker out by name if she really cared. But she doesn't. Her words are meaningless.' A seventh pointed out: 'She has actual ability to do a whole lot more.' McLaughlin doubled down on the Trump administration's assertions that the ICE operations in Los Angeles are targeting convicted criminals. Kim has never spoken publicly about who she endorsed in the 2024 Presidential election, in which Donald Trump triumphed over Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. However, she has a close friendship with Trump's daughter Ivanka. Kim and Ivanka's friendship traces back several years, and it only strengthened after the pair began working on prison reforms together. The duo first crossed paths in 2014 at the Met Gala, where it was said that they bonded over motherhood. A source told Us Weekly in 2023, 'Kim and Ivanka have been friends for years and have hung out on a number of occasions. 'They initially bonded nearly a decade ago at the Met Gala over motherhood and being new moms. But they continued to connect numerous times over the years.' Since their initial meeting a decade ago, the women have been spotted together on numerous occasions. In 2018, the pair was seen posing side by side at the White House, where Kim was petitioning Ivanka's father, then-President Trump, to commute the life sentence of drug offender Alice Marie Johnson. The duo worked closely together to reduce and clear prison sentences - with Kim often confiding in Ivanka while attending dinner parties at her house. And by 2020, the reality star was gushing about Ivanka's dad online. 'President Trump commuted the sentences of three really deserving women. I didn't hear much about it in the news, so I wanted to share with you their stories,' she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'I have the pleasure of spending the day with these women today along with Alice Marie Johnson, who helped to pick these women.' Meanwhile, the White House has said its deportation efforts in Los Angeles are continuing - despite Kardashian's comments and photos and videos showing protesters wearing face masks confronting police in riot gear. 'The Trump Administration will fulfill the President's promise to deport illegal aliens and no one – not even violent left-wing rioters – will get in the way of our mission,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail on Wednesday. 'ICE is arresting illegal aliens and will continue to do so all around the country no matter what radical liberals do, the safety of the American people depends on it,' she said in a statement. 'Radical liberal rioters, enabled by weak politicians like Gavin Newsom, are using violence to try and stop the American people's agenda from being implemented. It won't work,' Jackson told the Daily Mail. 'In November, the American people gave President Trump a mandate: deportations.'
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Watch: Trump reacts to news that actors are boycotting his attendance at Kennedy Center
Donald Trump says he is unbothered by actors boycotting his attendance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center Wednesday night (11 June). Several 'Les Mis' cast members are expected to sit out the performance fundraiser after news broke that the president would be in the audience. As Trump walked the red carpet with Melania ahead of the show, a reporter asked him how he felt about the actors' protest. 'I couldn't care less, honestly, I couldn't,' Trump said. 'All I do is run the country well.' The president proceeded to list off some of his perceived accomplishments from his second term.
