On May 1, ART signed a coalition letter (issued by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)) to United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) urging the agencies to cease targeting activists, journalists, and lawyers based on their First Amendment-protected speech and associational activities near the Mexico–United States border. This surveillance violates the Privacy Act of 1974, which states that a government agency cannot create records of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents’ First Amendment activities when they are not pertinent to and within the scope of its authorized law enforcement activity. Both agencies responded with individual letters--DHS issued a standard reply, while CBP confirmed suspicion of activists as a means to justify increased surveillance, in its own letter.