COMPLAINTS ABOUT CBP OFFICER CONDUCT
A traveler who believes a CBP officer acted unprofessionally, abusively or improperly can submit a complaint through CBP’s public complaint system. More serious allegations involving misconduct, corruption or abuse may also be appropriate for CBP’s internal intake process or the DHS Office of Inspector General.
Current CBP Information Center guidance allows members of the public to submit a question, compliment, complaint or tip online. CBP also maintains a Compliments and Complaints function for traveler concerns.
A complaint about an officer’s conduct is different from challenging the legal immigration decision the officer made.
CBP accountability materials state that public complaints received through the Information Center commonly involve matters such as unprofessional behavior, alleged bias or discrimination, search authority, travel delays, missing property or property damage.
CBP’s published accountability materials identify the CBP Intake Center and DHS Office of Inspector General as additional channels for reporting allegations involving employee misconduct or other serious wrongdoing.
The DHS Office of Inspector General operates a public hotline for allegations involving fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct or violations involving DHS programs and personnel.
Not every disagreement with a CBP admission decision is an OIG misconduct case.
Write down the details promptly after the incident. Preserve boarding passes, CBP forms, property receipts, medical records, photographs and witness information that may help identify what happened.
Submitting a complaint does not itself rescind an expedited-removal order, restore a canceled visa, grant admission or erase a CBP record.
If the issue is the immigration action itself, a separate legal strategy may be necessary.
Yes. CBP’s public complaint system receives traveler complaints, including allegations of rude or unprofessional conduct.
You can still provide the port, date, time, lane or location, description and other details that may help CBP identify the employee.
No. The complaint process addresses conduct or agency concerns; it is not an ordinary appeal of a refusal of admission.
These government materials provide the principal complaint, oversight and traveler-redress procedures discussed on this page.
A useful review identifies whether the problem calls for a CBP complaint, misconduct referral, records request, traveler redress or a separate challenge to the immigration action.