Over 60 Border Patrol Employees Under Investigation for Posts in Secret Facebook Group

Over 60 Border Patrol employees are under investigation for their involvement in a secret Facebook group that mocked migrants and lawmakers, the Associated Press reports. The Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility is probing 62 current Border Patrol members and eight former employees. Assistant Commissioner Matthew Klein said many under investigation were tied to the “I’m 10-15” Facebook group—which reportedly posted crude memes of Latina lawmakers and questioned the validity of migrant deaths. Posts in at least one other closed group are also under investigation. “Messages posted on a private page that are discriminatory or harassing are not protected and violate standards of conduct,” Klein said, adding that the “expectations of professional conduct don’t end at the end of a shift.”

The Office of Professional Responsibility is also attempting to find out who knew about the groups but didn’t say anything, explaining that “[n]ot reporting misconduct is also considered misconduct[.]” Investigators have been interviewing identified members of the group, and the office will turn over its findings to Border Patrol, which will then determine whether a punishment will be handed out. Klein said he did not consider the investigation to be a criminal one, but the probe would identify any criminal behavior if found.