Oversight Democrats Demand Information on DHS’s Attempted Exploitation of Postal Inspection Service and Postal Service Data for Nationwide Immigration Raids

Washington, D.C. (June 11, 2025)— Today, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Acting Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led Oversight Democrats in sending a letter to Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino and Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale demanding to know whether the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and U.S. Postal Service (Postal Service) are aiding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the Trump Administration’s cruel mass deportation operations across the country.  This is just the latest example of President Trump weaponizing the government and personal data against Americans. 

USPIS is tasked with investigating prohibited narcotics sent through mail, mail theft, robbery, assaults, and mail fraud.  However, recent reporting from the Washington Post found that on April 27, 2025, USPIS officers participated in an immigration raid where more than 100 immigrants were detained in a Colorado nightclub, far exceeding the scope of the agency’s typical duties. 

Federal immigration authorities have reportedly requested widespread access to the Postal Service and USPIS’s sensitive personal data to help locate immigrants for apprehension.  Both organizations—which possess sensitive personal information including addresses, credit card information, and package tracking information—have strong security measures in place to ensure the protection of Americans’ data, which have been completely disregarded by DHS. 

“We are deeply concerned that the partnership between USPIS and DHS is not only an improper use of USPIS personnel, but will also significantly detract from USPIS’s critical mission of addressing the present and increasing threats of mail theft and fraud, and attacks against our Postal workforce,” wrote the Members.  “It is clear that DHS intends to use the highly sensitive information maintained by the Postal Service as part of its broader weaponization of personal information to carry out its mass deportation agenda.”

This exploitation of USPIS is only the most recent example in a long line of DHS efforts to infiltrate government agencies to gain access to highly sensitive personal data.  On April 18, 2025, Wired reported that DHS was using data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to create a “master database” to track and surveil immigrants. 

“The alleged partnership between USPIS and DHS raises serious concerns that USPIS and the Postal Service are being enlisted to participate in the Administration’s mass deportation agenda in a manner that jeopardizes the sensitive personal data of all Americans and the critical internal systems of the Postal Service,” concluded the Members.

To uncover the extent of the involvement between USPIS, the Postal Service, and DHS, the Acting Ranking Member requests that an immediate briefing to Committee staff be provided in addition to all requested documents and materials by June 25, 2025.

Click here to read the letter to Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino and Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. 

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