Border Patrol investigates another potential secret Facebook group
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is investigating another potential secret Facebook group where current and former CBP officials allegedly shared mocking images of migrants and derogatory images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The Facebook group, first reported by CNN, is the second such group being investigated by CBP. This week, ProPublica reported on another private Facebook group, which is called "I'm 10-15," referring to the Border Patrol code for "aliens in custody." According to the report, the page was created three years ago for current and former Border Patrol workers, and has about 9,500 members.
In a statement, a CBP spokesperson said that the agency had received screenshots of activity in the second Facebook group and directed its Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate potential employee misconduct.
"If the investigation verifies that employees posted content in violation of CBP's code of conduct, the findings will inform management decisions regarding appropriate disciplinary action," the spokesperson said. "CBP does not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will hold those who violate our code of conduct accountable."
"These posts do not reflect the core values of the agency and do not reflect the vast majority of employees who conduct themselves professionally and honorably every day, on and off duty," the statement continued.
However, some believe these social media groups are indicative of a corrupt culture at CBP. Ocasio-Cortez said the Facebook page shows a deeper and more disturbing problem within the agency.
"This isn't about 'a few bad eggs.' This is a violent culture," she said on Twitter.
"How on earth can CBP's culture be trusted to care for refugees humanely?" she wrote. "They're threatening violence on members of Congress. How do you think they're treating caged children+families?"
After her tour of a border detention facility, Ocasio-Cortez wrote in another tweet, "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."
News of these social media groups comes as CBP has been criticized for the treatment of migrants in border detention centers.
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) internal watchdog found squalid conditions in several detention centers for migrant families and children in Texas, including "serious" overcrowding, minors going without hot meals for days and detainees begging not to be returned to their cells, according to a new report released Tuesday.