CARTEL Act to Mandate Monthly Border Data Release: New Transparency Rules Start Soon

The "Cartel And Radical Terrorist Enforcement Log Act of 2025," or CARTEL Act, is setting new rules for how U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports its activities. Starting with the second full month after this bill becomes law, CBP will have to publish detailed monthly reports on its website, breaking down everything from the number of people they encounter at the border to drug seizures and interactions with individuals on the terrorist screening database.

Data Deep Dive: What the Monthly Reports Will Show

The core of the CARTEL Act is about making a lot more data public, fast. Every month, CBP will release numbers on total and unique encounters with migrants, their nationalities, any gang affiliations, and even how many "got aways" they recorded. They'll also report on drug seizures, deceased migrants encountered, and anyone flagged in the terrorist screening database. For example, if a family from Honduras is apprehended, released, and then apprehended again, they’d be counted in both “total encounters” and “unique encounters,” and their nationality would be tracked. The reports will separately track repeat attempts and apprehensions of individuals on the terrorist watch list or those affiliated with transnational criminal organizations, specifying if these individuals were released into the US or removed.

Tracking Terrorists and Criminal Organizations

Beyond the monthly data dump, the CARTEL Act also requires an annual report to Congress. Within 90 days of the Act's passage, and every year after, the Secretary of Homeland Security must assess how foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal groups try to move people into the U.S. This part directly links to existing laws, specifically section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which defines what a "foreign terrorist organization" is. This annual report is aimed at giving Congress a clearer picture of these specific threats.

Real-World Radar: Challenges and Changes

While more data sounds good, the CARTEL Act raises some real-world questions. For one, CBP is going to be under pressure to gather and publish this data incredibly quickly – we’re talking about a seven-day turnaround each month. This could strain resources, especially if the definitions of things like "gang-affiliated" aren’t crystal clear. For example, is someone considered "gang-affiliated" based on a tattoo? A past arrest? This lack of clarity could lead to some people being unfairly labeled. Plus, there's the risk that this flood of data, especially about terrorism and crime, could skew how people view the situation at the border, potentially leading to negative perceptions of all migrants, regardless of their individual backgrounds and circumstances.