The National Targeting Center (NTC) is a division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It is based in Sterling, Virginia. [1] The NTC observes air traffic and trade activities, [2] gathers and vets intelligence, and is empowered to send e-mails requesting that U.S. citizens be detained and questioned. [3]
The National Targeting Center includes several divisions, including: NTC-Cargo, NTC-Passenger, Counter-Network, and National Targeting Center – Investigations (NTC-I). The latter was established in 2013. [4]
The NTC was initially established in 2001; its original name was Office of Border Security. [5]
In 2017, the NTC approached journalists "as part of a broader effort to get reporters to write about forced labor around the world as a national security issue." The journalists included Ali Watkins and Martha Mendoza. [6]
In 2021, CBP launched an investigation of the NTC's targeting of journalists, members of Congress, and others. [7]
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CBP’s National Targeting Center, which gathers and vets intelligence [...] an analyst from the National Targeting Center sent an email to the TTRT at the airport requesting that Gach be detained and questioned
assigned to the border agency unit, part of the National Targeting Center in Sterling, Virginia, in 2017. He told investigators he initially approached Watkins as part of a broader effort to get reporters to write about forced labor around the world as a national security issue. He also described similar efforts with AP reporter Martha Mendoza
CBP’s internal probe was prompted by Yahoo News’ reporting earlier this month on Operation Whistle Pig, a leak investigation targeting reporter Ali Watkins