The Department of Homeland Security recently proposed the reclassification of complaint records as “temporary” to the National Archives and Records Administration. If approved, the proposal would give the DHS the authority to destroy within four years records documenting a long history of abuse at the agency, and at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, one of its major operational components.

Both the DHS and CBP have a persistent record of misconduct, and the destruction of these documents would allow the agencies to hinder public oversight and bypass accountability for their actions. Open The Government is leading a coalition of transparency and accountability organizations that strongly oppose the DHS’s proposal and are urging NARA to reject it.