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Trump Administration Is Allegedly Shielding Border Patrol Agents Involved in Racist Facebook Posts
By
Matt Katz
Published Jan 14, 2021
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By
Matt Katz
Published Jan 14, 2021
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Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) is alleging that the Trump Administration is protecting dozens of border control officers involved in secret, racist Facebook groups.
Maloney, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said Customs and Border Protection provided incomplete and overly-redacted documents in response to a subpoena for information related to social media activity, and a new subpoena is therefore imminent.
“The Committee remains extremely concerned by the lengths to which the Trump Administration is going—even in its final days—to place the interests of employees who made racist and sexually depraved posts ahead of the wellbeing of the children and families they interact with every day,” Maloney wrote in a letter to CBP. She is demanding that CBP reveal the identity of the employees who were “fired, suspended, or otherwise disciplined.”
Listen to Matt Katz's report on WNYC:
In 2019, ProPublic revealed that a Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents joked about dead immigrant children, posted sexually-graphic, altered images of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and joked about throwing burritos at congressional representatives visiting a Border Patrol facility.
That spurred an effort by congressional Democrats to get the names of officers involved, and a complete record of all the posts in two Facebook groups. Nearly 18 months later, Democrats say that hasn’t happened.
CBP told Maloney in its own letter that four officers were removed from their positions due to certain posts, and others have been disciplined, but it has not disclosed details or their identities.
In a statement to the media, CPB said it has already provided multiple documents to Congress, and will continue to do so “as cases are investigated, closed, and (if warranted) disciplinary action is determined.”
Maloney’s letter comes as law enforcement nationwide faces scrutiny over officers who may have been involved in the insurrection at the Capitol this week.
Matt Katz reports on air at WNYC about immigration, refugees, hate, and national security. You can follow him on Twitter at @mattkatz00.
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carolyn maloney
customs and border protection
president trump
cpb
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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