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Border Patrol agents to stop wearing body cameras after social media post reveals β€˜security risk’

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will no longer wear body cameras during field operations after a social media post publicized how to identify individual agents.

"All U.S. Border Patrol Agents will cease the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) in all operational environments," CBP said in a statement to NewsNation, which originally reported the news.

The directive comes after a post on Reddit claimed that the mobile application BLE Radar, which uses Bluetooth to scan for low-energy devices such as phones, smartwatches and speakers, can also track CBP body cameras from a distance of 100 yards and can also trigger improvised explosive devices.

FRUSTRATED CHICAGOANS BACK ICE DEPORTATIONS, APPLAUD DOJ LAWSUIT TARGETING SANCTUARY POLICIES

CBP officials sent out a directive following the post informing agents of a "potential security risk" while immediately pulling body cameras from use in the field.

"Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received," the directive said.

Sources told NewsNation that the cameras used by CBP agents are Avon body cams, which the social media post claims are devices BLE Radar, which was developed by F-Droid, can detect.

DAILY AVERAGE OF KNOWN GOTAWAYS AT SOUTHERN BORDER PLUMMETS, DOWN 93% FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HIGHS

The directive comes as both CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have ramped up enforcement efforts in the weeks since President Donald Trump took office, an effort that was a cornerstone of the president's campaign to return to the White House.

Since the beginning of February, the daily average of gotaways, or illegal immigrants who successfully enter the U.S. without being apprehended, at the southern border has fallen to just 132 per day, a 93% drop from highs seen under former President Joe Biden, a senior Department of Homeland Security source told Fox News.

Data obtained by Fox News showed that during FY 2023, 670,674 known gotaways were recorded by the agency, or more than 1,800 per day.

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CBP did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

CBP finds 161K fake US stamps in shipment from China

More than 161,000 counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps from China were recently seized in Chicago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Thursday.

Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement officers at the Chicago International Mail Branch stopped eight shipments containing a total of 161,860 fake stamps that violated trademark laws last weekend, CBP said.Β 

All the parcels were arriving from China, according to authorities, and would be valued at over $118,000 if real.

Officers, however, were able to determine that the stamps were fraudulent based on "the very low invoice value, the routing, and the extraordinary efforts undertaken to conceal the stamps," according to CBP.

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LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of Field Operations-Chicago, praised the highly trained CBP officers and specialists who stopped the counterfeiters from profiting from the "very realistic" fake stamps.

"Counterfeiters only care about making a profit," Sutton-Burke said. "They don’t care about the effect that fake postage has on your ability to send important mail and overall impacts the U.S. economy."Β 

"Our officers and specialists are some of the most highly trained in the nation, and their level of expertise is evident with these seizures," she continued. "CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations."

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While the quality of the seized fraudulent stamps was poor, CBP warned that advances in counterfeiting are improving the quality so much so that most consumers may not detect the differences between fake and authentic stamps.

An uptick in counterfeit U.S. Postal Service postage stamps typically occurs around holidays, especially "high volume card holidays like Valentine’s Day," authorities said.

CBP reminded the public that authentic postage stamps are produced at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing in the United States.

Border Patrol agents to stop wearing body cameras after social media post reveals β€˜security risk’

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will no longer wear body cameras during field operations after a social media post publicized how to identify individual agents.

"All U.S. Border Patrol Agents will cease the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) in all operational environments," CBP said in a statement to NewsNation, which originally reported the news.

The directive comes after a post on Reddit claimed that the mobile application BLE Radar, which uses Bluetooth to scan for low-energy devices such as phones, smartwatches and speakers, can also track CBP body cameras from a distance of 100 yards and can also trigger improvised explosive devices.

FRUSTRATED CHICAGOANS BACK ICE DEPORTATIONS, APPLAUD DOJ LAWSUIT TARGETING SANCTUARY POLICIES

CBP officials sent out a directive following the post informing agents of a "potential security risk" while immediately pulling body cameras from use in the field.

"Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received," the directive said.

Sources told NewsNation that the cameras used by CBP agents are Avon body cams, which the social media post claims are devices BLE Radar, which was developed by F-Droid, can detect.

DAILY AVERAGE OF KNOWN GOTAWAYS AT SOUTHERN BORDER PLUMMETS, DOWN 93% FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HIGHS

The directive comes as both CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have ramped up enforcement efforts in the weeks since President Donald Trump took office, an effort that was a cornerstone of the president's campaign to return to the White House.

Since the beginning of February, the daily average of gotaways, or illegal immigrants who successfully enter the U.S. without being apprehended, at the southern border has fallen to just 132 per day, a 93% drop from highs seen under former President Joe Biden, a senior Department of Homeland Security source told Fox News.

Data obtained by Fox News showed that during FY 2023, 670,674 known gotaways were recorded by the agency, or more than 1,800 per day.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

CBP did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

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