Border Patrol Agents Mocked Migrants On Facebook: Report

Washington, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jul, 2019 ) :A secret Facebook group for current and former US Border Patrol agents is filled with racist memes and posts mocking migrants, the nonprofit news site ProPublica reported Monday.

Members of the group also posted derogatory comments about female Hispanic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the outspoken Democratic congresswoman from New York.

The group, called "I'm 10-15," was created in August 2016 and reportedly includes some 9,500 members, ProPublica said. The Border Patrol code for "aliens in custody" is 10-15.

ProPublica published several examples of posts it said were found in the group.

For example, a news story about a 16-year-old Guatemalan who died in Border Patrol custody elicited comments such as "Oh well" and "If he dies, he dies." Other posts depicted fake photo montages of Ocasio-Cortez engaged in sexual activity.

Ocasio-Cortez has been a frequent critic of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, which oversees the Border Patrol, and she visited CBP border facilities housing migrants on Monday.

"There are 20,000 TOTAL Customs & Border Patrol agents in the US," Ocasio-Cortez said in a message on Twitter linked to the ProPublica article.

"9,500 CBP officers sharing memes about dead migrants and discussing violence and sexual misconduct towards members of Congress," she said. "How on earth can CBP's culture be trusted to care for refugees humanely?" Ocasio-Cortez also denounced the conditions she found at the CBP facilities she visited.

"It's not just the kids. It's everyone. People drinking out of toilets, officers laughing in front of members of Congress," the congresswoman said.

"This has been horrifying so far," she said. "It is hard to understate the enormity of the problem." "We're talking systemic cruelty w/a dehumanizing culture that treats them like animals." Carla Provost, the head of the US Border Patrol, denounced the posts in 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," Provost said. "Any employees found to have violated our standards of conduct will be held accountable."CBP said it had launched an investigation after being "made aware of disturbing social media activity hosted on a private Facebook group that may include a number of CBP employees."