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 on Monday.
Members of the group also posted derogatory comments about female Hispanic lawmakers, including US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The group, called “I’m 10-15,” was created in August 2016 and reportedly includes about 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 photograph montages of Ocasio-Cortez engaged in sexual activity.
Ocasio-Cortez has been a frequent critic of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which oversees the Border Patrol, and she on Monday visited CBP border facilities housing migrants.
“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 wrote. “How on earth can CBP’s culture be trusted to care for refugees humanely?”
US President Donald Trump, asked by reporters at the White House about the report on the agents’ Facebook group, said: “I don’t know what they are saying about members of Congress, but I know the Border Patrol is not happy with the Democrats in Congress.”
“The Border Patrol, they are patriots, they are great people, they love our country,” Trump said.
Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost denounced the posts.
“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 that it has 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.”
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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