
Jeff Zucker, CNN’s president, was under a gag order related to a legal fight stemming from a. When the administration claims transparency, yet operates in secrecy, they are demonstrating hypocrisy. CNN reveals the government obtained a gag order on its lawyers in a fight over reporter email data. However, simply saying it doesn’t mean it’s in practice. “Another principle to which I intend to adhere throughout my tenure, and that’s openness and transparency, and that includes the Fourth Estate,” he told reporters on March 1. Mayorkas earlier this month told reporters he intended to be more transparent as DHS secretary, including when it came to interactions with the media. “It was more restrictive under Obama than under Trump, when there was more autonomy for each region to speak to the media,” the official said. “Part of maintaining the public trust is to communicate regularly and often,” a former official said.Īn official during the past three administrations said the current situation is reminiscent of restrictions during the Obama administration. The Trump administration allowed some media ride-alongs last year, but Biden has not allowed a single one since his inauguration. Greg Abbott said state health and law enforcement official have also been denied access.ĭata on the number of unaccompanied children in the custody of Border Patrol has been relatively protected in the past, but crackdowns on leaks have made it more difficult to collect the data.Īccording to one official, some access restrictions can be attributed to precautionary measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The law did not specify when the FBI had to notify the target, and critics charged that delays in notification were unconstitutional under the protections. News organizations have been denied access to or pictures of the overcrowded border processing facilities holding unaccompanied children, including the newly opened processing facility in Texas.įurthermore, Texas Gov. By Erin Coates Maat 11:35am The Biden administration has reportedly placed an unofficial gag order on Border Patrol agents and sector chiefs as a surge of migrants swarm the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday the agency is “on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.” The officials said the restrictions and others like them are often referred to as unofficial “gag orders,” Western Journal reported. Moreover, Fox News reporters confirmed Wednesday during a live telecast that they’ve been denied ride-along requests based upon the change in policy.Īgents responsible for keeping track of the number of migrants in custody have also been told to prevent leaks by not sharing their information. The Biden administration has reportedly placed an unofficial “gag order” on Border Patrol agents and sector chiefs as a surge of migrants swarm the southern border, turning what had been categorized as a crisis into a catastrophe.įour current and two former Customs and Border Protection officials said to NBC News that they have been told to deny requests for media “ride-alongs” with agents, and press officers have been told to send any requests for information to the press office in Washington for approval.
