US Border Patrol agents stand in front of a secondary fence in San Diego, looking across the border wall toward Mexico.

The US government's creation of a database that resulted in reporters, attorneys, and advocates being questioned at the border is under a more expansive investigation than previously reported.



An investigation into whether immigration officials had violated policies when they created the list was announced by Customs and Border Protection in March. But a July 15 letter to Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico from Jennifer Costello, the acting inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, said the agency is also investigating allegations of harassment faced by people on the database and whether CBP complied with US laws.

In the letter, Costello said a team of investigators, analysts, and attorneys are looking into the list, which was leaked to San Diego's NBC affiliate.



"We plan to review the leaked ... document in order to determine why it was created, what it is used for, and what happened to the people named in it," Costello said in the letter, which was obtained by BuzzFeed News. "We also anticipate reviewing other specific allegations of targeting and/or harassment of lawyers, journalists, and advocates, and evaluate whether CBP's actions compiled with law and policy."