Lawmakers, union representatives, and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol condemned “xenophobic and sexist” social media posts by border agents revealed by ProPublica.
The nonprofit news outlet uncovered posts in a private Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents and made public the findings on Monday. Condemnations of the Facebook group flowed shortly after the story was published.
Customs and Border Protection requested that the Department of Homeland Security inspector general launch an investigation into the Facebook group.
“These posts are completely inappropriate and contrary to the honor and integrity I see – and expect – from our agents day in and day out,” Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost said in a statement. “Any employees found to have violated our standards of conduct will be held accountable.”
The Facebook group contained jokes about dead migrants and suggestions to hit New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar with burritos as they visit CBP facilities on Monday. One post showed a photo-shopped image of Ocasio-Cortez engaged in sexual acts with an immigrant.
Ocasio-Cortez referred to the posts made about her in a tweet after visiting one of the facilities.
“I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me. Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Just left the 1st CBP facility.
I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me.
Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets.
This was them on their GOOD behavior in front of members of Congress.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
“The National Border Patrol Council strongly condemns the inappropriate content posted by certain Border Patrol employees,” the NBPC, the union of Border Patrol agents, said in a statement.
“Whether one agrees with the politics of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Escobar, they both must be treated with dignity and respect,” the NBPC said. “Similarly, when Rep. Ocasio-Cortez refers to CBP border facilities as concentration camps and our agents as Nazis – when neither could be further from the truth – she does nothing to improve the political discourse.”
The union asserted that the perpetrators represented a small minority of border agents and did not represent the branch of law enforcement as a whole.
The NBPC condemns the inappropriate and unprofessional social media posts related to members of Congress and those encountered by Border Patrol agents. pic.twitter.com/rst6Le5cBj
— Border Patrol Union – NBPC (@BPUnion) July 1, 2019
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Committee on homeland security, ripped the social media posts and called for the agents responsible for the “vile comments” to be fired.
“This Facebook group is beyond sexist and racist – it is truly abhorrent and shameful, and there is no excuse for this depraved behavior,” Thompson said in a statement. The Mississippi Democrat said the social media posts are evidence of systemic issues in DHS and CBP.
“It is clear federal law enforcement officials seem empowered by President Trump and seem all too willing to take his anti-immigrant rhetoric to the next level when they think no one is watching,” Thompson said.
The group is named “I’m 10-15,” the CBP code for “aliens in custody.” One post suggested that Democrats orchestrated a picture of two dead immigrants, a father and daughter, found drowned in the Rio Grande.
“Ok, I’m gonna go ahead and ask……have y’all ever seen floaters this clean?” the post said, referring to the dead migrants. “I’m not trying to be an a$$ but I HAVE NEVER SEEN FLOATERS LIKE THIS, could this be another edited photo. We’ve all seen the dems and liberal parties do some pretty sick things….”
