[News] Border Patrol Agents Tried to Delete Racist and Obscene Facebook Posts. We Archived Them.

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://theintercept.com/2019/07/05/border-patrol-facebook-group/


  Border Patrol Agents Tried to Delete Racist and Obscene Facebook
  Posts. We Archived Them.

Ryan Devereaux - July 5, 2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The scrubbing began quickly._ At 10:55 a.m., ProPublica published a 
story 
<https://www.propublica.org/article/secret-border-patrol-facebook-group-agents-joke-about-migrant-deaths-post-sexist-memes> 
reporting the existence of a secret, invitation-only Facebook group for 
current and former Border Patrol agents that featured vulgar, violent, 
and misogynistic content directed at migrants and lawmakers.

A little over two hours later, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, chair of the 
House Committee on Homeland Security, called for active-duty agents 
responsible for the posts to lose their jobs. Minutes after that, U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, the agency that oversees the Border 
Patrol, said in a tweet that the inspector general’s office at the 
Department of Homeland Security was “immediately informed” of the 
“disturbing social media activity,” and an internal investigation has 
been launched.

Back in the “I’m 10-15” Facebook group, evidence that might inform such 
an investigation was quickly disappearing. The name of the group — radio 
lingo Border Patrol agents use when they take a migrant into custody — 
was changed to “America First X 2,” and the group was archived.

Read Our Complete CoverageThe War on Immigrants 
<https://theintercept.com/collections/the-war-on-immigrants/>

But the archived group, the version that investigators might examine, 
was not the same one that existed prior to the ProPublica article.

The meme that group member Thomas Hendricks shared of President Donald 
Trump forcing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to perform oral sex was gone 
— though ProPublica’s tipster managed to grab that one. Investigators 
would not, however, see that Carrizo Springs resident Hector Garcia Jr. 
had posted something similar, sharing a meme of the congresswoman 
performing oral sex through a detention center fence in a mock Porn Hub 
preview (“Lucky Illegal Immigrant Glory Hole Special”). Similarly, 
investigators would not find the post from user Jorge Nunez: a video of 
a Trump impersonator grabbing the crotch of a woman in a red, white, and 
blue bikini, in which Nunez wrote, “Grab her right in the pussy…MAGA!!”

Hendricks deleted his account soon after the ProPublica story broke. 
Garcia and Nunez did not respond to requests for comment.

hendricks-garcia-nunez-1562268434

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Anybody trying to look further into “I’m 10-15” after reading the 
ProPublica article would never see the Washington Post article that a 
poster named Bobby Matthews shared about asylum officers raising 
concerns about the administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. 
Matthews wrote “Fucking liberal traitors” and “more lies from the tonks” 
— using Border Patrol slang for migrants, referring to the sound a 
flashlight makes when it connects with a migrant’s skull — to which 
Nelson Pou III, the Del Rio, Texas-based lead singer of the band Semper 
Acerbus, replied, “Fuck the whole country of Honduras.”

Matthews did not respond to a request for comment. Pou declined to comment.

And investigators would never see the posts that came right after the 
ProPublica story was published, in which they talked about “the rat” in 
their midst, and Mike Herrero accused ProPublica of trying to “do away 
with the First amendment.”

“The media is really the enemy because they know better and just feed 
the dissonance,” he wrote.

rat-herrero-1562268813

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

These are just a handful of examples of posts from the days before, and 
shortly after, the ProPublica story went live. The Intercept gained full 
access to the invitation-only Border Patrol group weeks ago and, for 
more than a month has collected and archived hundreds of posts that show 
that the content shared with ProPublica was no aberration. In fact, the 
Border Patrol group was a hotbed for the kind of right-wing memes and 
anti-immigrant hate common in some corners of the internet. The only 
difference is that the group — which had nearly 10,000 members at the 
time it was exposed and has since dwindled to a little over 4,000 
— was meant to be used by current and former federal law enforcement 
personnel.

“Where Old Patrol meets New Patrol,” the about section of 
the group read. “Post your pics. BP and AMO [Air and Marine Operations] 
related. Funny, serious and just work related. We are family, first and 
foremost. This is where the Green Line starts, with us. Start a chat or 
discussion, or use the group as a message board or Q and A session. We 
are here for each other. Remember you are never alone in this family.”

The Intercept messaged 28 Facebook users named in this article, whose 
accounts remained active in the immediate wake of the ProPublica 
article, and requested comment. Although Facebook prohibits the use of 
aliases, it is possible that members of the group used assumed names. 
The Intercept is publishing the names of individuals quoted in this 
story as displayed on the  “I’m 10-15” group to accurately portray the 
contents of the postings.

Of the individuals contacted whose accounts were still active, only two 
responded, both declining to comment. Several of the members of the 
Facebook group cited in this story had previously posted photos of 
themselves on their profile pages in uniform, whether with the Border 
Patrol or other law enforcement agencies or military units, or openly 
listed their employment for the federal government on their profile. At 
least three identified themselves as retired.

On Wednesday morning, Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of the 
Department of Homeland Security tweeted “that any employee found to have 
compromised the public’s trust in our law enforcement mission will be 
held accountable.” The Intercept shared the names and posts of 31 users 
with Customs and Border Protection and requested confirmation of whether 
these individuals were currently employed by the agency. In a statement 
to The Intercept, a spokesperson for CBP said the agency was reviewing 
screenshots from the group and that some of the individuals appeared to 
be active duty employees of the agency.

“The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Professional 
Responsibility (OPR) is investigating information provided to the agency 
regarding postings to a private Facebook group,” the statement read. 
“CBP has been provided several screenshots of Facebook postings, with 
posting names visible. OPR has been working to determine if these 
posting Facebook identities are connected to current CBP employees. 
Several of the names in the screenshots do appear to match names of 
current CBP employees. Additionally, there are postings attributed to 
accounts bearing common names, that appear to match to multiple CBP 
employees. CBP is fully investigating these postings and will hold 
accountable any CBP employee who is found to have engaged in misconduct.”

On Wednesday, Politico reported 
<https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/03/border-agency-secret-facebook-group-1569572> 
that CBP officials and Border Patrol leadership knew about the secret 
group for up to three years, with one former DHS official stating that 
CBP’s public affairs office monitored the “I’m 10-15” group “as a source 
of intelligence” to see “what people are talking about.”

Posts on the “I’m 10-15” group routinely fantasized about violent or 
deadly action that could be taken against migrants.

Just a few weeks before the deaths of a father and his daughter while 
crossing the Rio Grande captured national attention, the Border Patrol 
Facebook group was filled with posts about alligator sightings in the 
river. “Medieval solutions to a modern problem,” Israel Valentin wrote. 
“Let’s stock the river with gators,” suggested John Tedford, who lists 
himself as a retired Border Patrol agent. “This needs to be crowd 
funded,” added Riley Glöck, whose recent postings indicate that he 
operates helicopters for the federal government. “Can the river 
ecosystem support sharks?”

Tedford-Glock-Ponch-Mowery-1562268897

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Sierra Mowery contributed a meme featuring Parkland shooting survivor 
David Hogg.

“Is this kid still alive?” asked Mark Ponch, whose Facebook profile 
indicates that he works in the El Paso sector. “Figure by now he’d have 
committed suicide already.”

“He hasn’t made Hillary mad yet,” Mowery replied. Reached by phone, 
Mowery told The Intercept she and her colleagues were not authorized to 
speak to the press.

On the topic of dead children, Eric Castillo separately posted a video 
of a large, child-sized portion of meat being wrapped in foil and then 
roasted over an open flame. The foil resembles the mylar blankets that 
unaccompanied children are given in Border Patrol custody.

“Little tonk blanket ideas!” Castillo wrote.

Castillo-1-1562268987

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Castillo’s account appears to be deleted, though his posts appeared 
elsewhere in recent months, including a heated comment section about 
whether Border Patrol agents can use lethal force against migrants who 
throw rocks — the president previously encouraged 
<https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/11/01/equating-rocks-with-rifles-trump-proposes-radical-new-rules-of-engagement-for-troops-along-border/> 
them to do so.

When a member of the group raised the point that “’I was just following 
orders’ hasn’t been an effective defense in about 72 years,” Bob 
Wilkinson, who lists his former occupation as Border Patrol supervisor 
and his current occupation as a U.S. government contractor, replied, 
“Are you a PA or a fucking snowflake.” Wilkinson went on to write that 
while he had “never killed anyone,” he had “used my share of force.”

“The fact that the President recognizes rocks as deadly weapons is a 
good thing,” he wrote.

Castillo-Wilkinson-1562342289

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

At that point, Castillo joined the conversation, lamenting about missing 
an opportunity to shoot a migrant while on the job. “Bro im gonna go 
home alive to my family and stop the threat!!” he wrote. “See it how you 
will. Ive been rocked before and missed my chance to pop a round before 
due to me falling to avoid the rock.. Fucker ran back to the river..But 
I learned for next time.. Don’t be a freaking debbie downer bro..”

Wilkinson described a similar experience, writing to Castillo, “as I was 
drawing my trainee who was on my right grabbed my arm and screwed up my 
draw. They were both lucky that day.”

“BRO NEXT TIME ITS ON,” Castillo wrote back.

In what could be of interest to investigators down the line, several 
members of the Border Patrol group shared photos of documents that 
included identifying information of migrants in Border Patrol custody.

It began with Angel Avilez, whose personal page suggests a recent 
posting at the Border Patrol’s Carrizo Springs station, sharing a meme 
that read, “YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M JUST GOING TO SAY IT […] HONDURANS HAVE 
THE STUPIDEST NAMES EVER.” The post generated more than 100 comments.

Avilez-1562269197

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Members shared Central American names that they considered stupid. 
Multiple users asserted that “Guats” — Guatemalans — also have names 
equally worthy of ridicule. Before long, group members, including 
Gabriel Gonzalez, Zack Smith, Anthony Ramos, Rick Mora Jr., and Michael 
Scherer, were sharing photos of documents — including what appears to be 
intake forms — that showed migrants’ names. Christian Macias added 
photos of government IDs belonging to five different individuals to the 
comment thread.

names-1562269388

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

“Non of these ignorant people can spell or write but somehow they think 
they deserve to be let in,” wrote Jose Ortiz, whose profile picture is a 
gold badge that reads “Inspector 211 S.F. Police.”

Ortiz-1-1562342344

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Seething anger at asylum seekers and migrants in general was the common 
thread in the “I’m 10-15″ group. On May 31, a user shared an image of 
the U.S. embassy in Honduras on fire. “Easy enough to do the same thing 
to all their asylum paperwork…” Gamel Lechner commented. When a member 
of the group later asked where a friend could drop off food and supplies 
for people in detention in Los Angeles, he was met with dozens of 
trolling replies.

“They are like wild animals, stop feeding them and they wont hang around 
and shit on the street,” wrote Richard Tyler Jr. — Tyler’s Facebook 
profile identified him as a former trainer for the Border Patrol, a 
former sheriff’s deputy, and a former sergeant in the U.S. Army.

In late May, user Waldemar Ortiz shared a meme that said “HUNGARY LOCKS 
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SHIPPING CONTAINERS TO STOP ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS.”

“Can we apply this here?” Ortiz wrote.

Ortiz’s personal Facebook page indicates that he previously served in 
the U.S. Marine Corps and now serves in the U.S. Army. In 2018, he 
captioned a photo in his Marine Corps uniform with the 
hashtags “fuckmuslims” and “fuckislam.” He has since posted dozens of 
right wing memes, including one suggesting that Rep. Ilhan Omar is a 
terrorist.

Some of the members of the Border Patrol group appeared to deeply hate 
the populations they are mandated to work with.

On May 24, Adam Matott, whose personal page includes photos of himself 
in a Border Patrol uniform and t-shirt, posted, “The excitement of 
leaving McAllen really sinks in … when the flight is full of OR tonks.”

The post sparked a conversation. Jess Cabe, who listed himself as a 
retired Border Patrol agent, wrote, “Wait til they start following you 
at the next airport to get you to help them find their connection, 
they’re waving that paperwork in your face like it’s the winning lottery 
ticket.”

“One of them asked my partner if she had the right gate,” Matott 
replied. “New fucking low point in my career.”

“Mine too,” Cabe replied. “I actually lost it in the airport and told 
him to get the fuck away from me loud enough to have other passengers 
leave the gate area.”

Matott replied, “At our gate a family unit came and sat near us. So we 
swiftly stood up, and relocated our seats.”

“Should have grabbed it and ripped it up. Fuck them,” added Mike 
Kotwicki, who deleted his account before The Intercept could message him.

“Way too many cameras and witnesses,” Cabe wrote.

The conversation about migrants on airplanes continued in another thread.

“The wife flew out last week said people were pissed cus it smelled like 
shit,” Jesus E. Nunez wrote.

JD Lopez, whose personal page includes photos of himself in a CBP 
helicopter crew uniform, replied: “Smells like detention.”

Nunez-Lopez-1562269862

Some personal information, names, and URLs have been redacted for privacy.

Commentary on current events made up a significant chunk of the content 
on the “I’m 10-15” group.

In recent weeks, that translated into an uptick in outrage over the 
number of children and families entering Border Patrol custody and, in 
particular, hate directed at Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. In addition to the 
sexually violent posts, members of the group created numerous memes out 
of photos of Ocasio-Cortez during a 2018 visit to a border detention 
center. Group member Brian Fawcett, who lists his current location as 
Laredo, Texas, and previously posted a photo in his Border Patrol 
uniform on his personal page, shared one such image. It included 
Ocasio-Cortez accompanied by Pepe the Frog, the internet meme synonymous 
with white nationalist internet culture.

Fawcett-5-1562345225

At left, one of Fawcett’s posts to the Facebook group “I’m 10-15”. At 
right, a selfie Fawcett posted to his personal Facebook page, in uniform.

Some personal information has been redacted for privacy.

Recently, when it was announced that Ocasio-Cortez would be making 
another visit to detention centers along the border, the Facebook group 
reacted in typical fashion. Chad Wamsley posted a comment that said 
“AOC” and included a drawing of a man defecating into a woman’s anus.

“Poop in her to show dominance,” the drawing said. Wamsley listed his 
occupation as United States Border Patrol agent. Justin Blue Ortiz, who 
lists his employer as the Department of Homeland Security and his 
residence as El Paso, Texas, suggested a “station wide bang in because 
the stress of their visit is too much.”

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