Members of a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents joked about the deaths of migrants, discussed throwing burritos at Latino members of Congress visiting a detention facility in Texas on Monday and posted a vulgar illustration depicting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in oral sex with a detained migrant, according to screenshots of their postings.
In one exchange, group members responded with indifference and wisecracks to the post of a news story about a 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who died in May while in custody at a Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas. One member posted a GIF of Elmo with the quote, “Oh well.” Another responded with an image and the words “If he dies, he dies.”
-------------------------------- We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb
Bazootiehead-in-training
Posts: 37884 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
The next administration needs to control government employment. We should start by shutting down ICE and the Border Patrol. Then rehire only people who have been more thoroughly vetted.
Posts: 12530 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005
I used to think that there was no point in shuttering ICE and the Border Patrol. You'd just have to restart them.
And I still think there's no point while this idiot Administration is in power.
But maybe it would enable the next Administration to start fresh without riffing restrictions or other protections for incompetent and malevolent employees.
It'd be quite a disruption, both to the country and the decent staff, though.
But it might be necessary in order to root out the truly despicable people who currently "work" there. The "good ones" could be rehired, after a very thorough background check and some really thorough ethics training.
Posts: 12530 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005
Bullies with badges. As P*D says, this would give the opportunity for the good ICE agents to remain. And there are some.
It's a fairly common procedure to have employees re-apply for their jobs following a significant organizational or skills change. No longer match the requirements? Either get trained or get a new job.
Posts: 35377 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005
Well, since this is the same FB that is just filled with fake stuff, I think I'd take this with a grain of salt. If you were a BP agent, would you risk your career just to vent in a social media group?
-------------------------------- "A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
eta: Of course it's possible that someone set them up and it's a hoax; I'll be watching to see if that's what happened.
-------------------------------- We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb
Bazootiehead-in-training
Posts: 37884 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
Assuming it is true, in any group of people there are idiots. FB gives them all a voice. It does not follow that they are representative of Border Patrol agents. Some cops talk like that too.
-------------------------------- "A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
The CBP on Monday announced that it reached out to the agency’s Inspector General after learning of the posts in the 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 investigation comes after an analysis of thousands of police officers’ Facebook accounts published by BuzzFeed News and Injustice Watch earlier this year which found hundreds of violent and racist posts.
eta: As far as cops doing it too, that was my point when I said people do it all the time.
-------------------------------- We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb
Bazootiehead-in-training
Posts: 37884 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
Originally posted by Mikhailoh: Well, since this is the same FB that is just filled with fake stuff, I think I'd take this with a grain of salt. If you were a BP agent, would you risk your career just to vent in a social media group?
Possibly, but Propublica is a well-respected group. Of course they could have gotten it wrong, but I'm more inclined to believe them than any of a number of other so-called "investigative journalism" groups.
Posts: 35377 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005
Originally posted by Piano*Dad: The next administration needs to control government employment. We should start by shutting down ICE and the Border Patrol. Then rehire only people who have been more thoroughly vetted.
We spent 50 years getting rid of the spoils system. It was probably the biggest political issue of the late 19th century. Surely we don’t want to bring it back.
-------------------------------- If you think looting is bad wait until I tell you about civil forfeiture.
Posts: 33797 | Location: On the Hudson | Registered: 20 April 2005
