Resource Center

Stories

The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast.

These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need.

Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:



Search results for "Border Patrol" ...

  • Rápido y Furioso (Fast & Furious)

    In this special edition of the newsmagazine program “Aqui y Ahora” (“Here and Now”), Univision news reports on the drug trade’s violent impact in Mexico, an aspect of the story that is often lost. We are submitting this report for your consideration in the FOI category. Although the hundreds of classified us and Mexican government documents weren’t obtained through a FOI request, we believe our process of gathering and comparing comprehensive information from two different governments, resulted in a story that did “open records and open government” in a unique and revealing way that could not be achieved by simply filing a FOI request.

    Tags: gun; border; Mexico; U.S. border patrol

    By Producers: Margarita Rabin; Jeanette Casal Miranda; Tomas Ocaña; Vytenis Didzulis; Casto Ocando; Reporters: Gerardo Reyes; Tomas Ocaña; Mariana Atencio; Maria Antonieta Collins; Tiffany Roberts; Vyteniz Didzulis; Margarita Rabin

    univision

    2012

  • GPS Surveillance

    This story examines how law enforcement agents- FBI, DEA, local police, and border patrol agents- have been using GPS devices for years with little to no oversight.

    Tags: GPS surveillance; FBI; DEA; local police; border patrol

    By Kim Zetter, Kevin Poulsen, Ryan Singel, Jon Snyder, Annaliza Savage, David Kravets

    Wired

    2011

  • Crime Along The Border

    This investigation sought to answer a question: Whether drug cartel violence raging in Mexico had spilled over into the U.S. border region, as had been claimed by some politicians and law enforcement officials.

    Tags: drug cartel; mexico; border patrol; politicians; law enforcement

    By Alan Gomez, Kevin Johnson, Jack Gillum, Glenn O'Neal

    USA Today (Arlington

    2011

  • Fast and Furious: Arizona Crime Ties

    When a Border Patrol agent was shot to death near the Arizona/Mexico border in Dec 2010, KNXV-TV quickly learned that guns found at the murder scene were linked to a controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives case called Fast and Furious.

    Tags: Border Patrol; Alcohol; Tobacco; Firearms; Fast and Furious; Arizona; Mexico

    By Lori Jane Glina; Scott Sherman; Matt Anzur; Aaron Wische

    KNXV-TV (Phoenix)

    2012

  • Fast and Furious: Arizona Crime Ties

    When Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot to death near the Arizona/Mexico border in December 2010, we quickly learned the guns found at the murder scene were linked to a controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives case called Fast and Furious. Phoenix ATF agents testified in front of Congressional leaders about the flawed gun case and the strategy in which they knowingly allowed criminals to obtain deadly assault weapons. The agents admitted to watching straw buyers purchase weapons on behalf of criminals. The agents said they did nothing to stop the purchases or to track the guns in a meaningful way after they were purchased. As a result of the Fast and Furious case, approximately two thousand weapons went missing. They are presumed to be on the streets somewhere in the United States, near the border, or in Mexico. The agents' testimonies sparked a slew of Congressional hearings and a major shuffle within the leadership ranks of the ATF and other areas of the Department of Justice.

    Tags: Fast and Furious; missing weapons; ATF agents

    By Lori Lane Gliha; Scott Sherman; Matt Anzur; Aaron Wische

    KNXV-TV (Phoenix)

    2011

  • "FBI Data, Scholars: As Illegal Immigration Rose, Crime Rate Fell"

    According to "widely trusted" crime reporting data, reports that crime is rising along the southern border of the U.S. in incorrect. Reporter Cristina Rayas wanted to find out if there was a correlation between crime and immigration. She found that the crime rate is actually down in the U.S. and that immigrants might actually be making "communities safer."

    Tags: Unified Crime Reports; Department of Homeland Security; Pinal County Sheriff's Department; Mexico; Arizona; Council on Foreign Relations; Pew Hispanic Center; Border Patrol

    By Cristina Rayas; Rick Rodriguez; Jason Manning

    News 21 (Phoenix, Ariz.)

    2010

  • "No Reciprocity: Canadian Hit and Run"

    In Everett, a vehicle with British Columbia plates struck a young boy and fled the scene, driving across the border back into Canada. Upon realizing the driver was Canadian, U.S. investigators dropped the case and did not ticket the man. An investigation by KIRO-TV finds that it is common for tickets issued to B.C. residents to remain unpaid without consequence because of the lack of a "reciprocity agreement" between Washington and British Columbia.

    Tags: British Columbia; Canada; Regional Border Patrol; Everett Mall Way; Everett Police; Keith Leary; Washington Department of Licensing

    By Chris Halsne; Bill Benson; David Weed

    KIRO-TV (Seattle)

    2009

  • "Human Trafficking in America"

    In this series, Kansas City Star reporters find that the U.S. is way behind in its efforts to squash human trafficking. If found, many victims are denied assistance and sometimes deported, placing them right back in harms way. Reporters also find that U.S. authorities, despite spending millions of dollars, have only located a small portion of the victims they estimate to be here.

    Tags: U.S. Department of Labor; Coaltion to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking; Giant Labor Solutions; slavery; Border Patrol; Office of Alien Smuggling Interdiction

    By Mike McGraw; Laura Bauer; Mark Morris

    Star (Kansas City, Mo.)

    2009

  • Illegal Labor Fix Falls Short

    The investigation took three months and looks at the effectiveness in preventing illegal immigration. "The Star focused on the home-building industry for this series because of its vital role in Tucson's growth. Illegal labor also is common in other industries, including hospitality and agrigculture."

    Tags: labor; illegal immigration; border patrol; housing; state government; federal government

    By Brady McCombs; Thomas Stauffer; David Sanders

    Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)

    2006

  • Muerte en el desierto: El Regreso de Jesus

    Identifying the dead migrants that try to cross the border from Mexico to the United States has proven difficult because half of the bodies are found with fake or borrowing identification.

    Tags: border patrol; immigration; foreign relations; Yuma County; DNA testing; border crossing; illegal immigrant; illegal immigration; green card; Mexico

    By Mariana Alvardo Avalos; Jose Merino; Dean Knuth

    Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)

    2007