A federal trial now underway in Chicago has put a spotlight on a problem bigger than any one case: when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer is accused of seriously abusing their power, the investigation happens almost entirely inside the same agency that employs them.

That's not oversight — it's the agency grading its own homework.

CBP and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently rely on internal review processes to investigate serious misconduct complaints, including allegations of assault, coercion, and abuse of authority by officers who carry government-issued weapons and badges. These complaints can sit for months or years without any independent review, and outcomes are almost never made public. That leaves the public — and the many officers who serve honestly — in the dark.

We're calling on the DHS Secretary and the CBP Commissioner to create an independent civilian oversight board, with real investigative authority, to review serious misconduct allegations against CBP officers outside the chain of command those officers report to. We're also asking Congress to require this independence by law, so accountability doesn't depend on which administration happens to be in office.

This isn't about deciding guilt in any case still before a court. It's about making sure that when allegations like these surface, officers, survivors, and the public can all trust the investigation behind them is fair and independent — not self-policed.

Sign the petition to demand independent oversight of CBP officer misconduct, before the next serious allegation disappears into a closed-door review.