CBP leader decries 'deplorable' Facebook posts, as probe launched
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Customs and Border Protection confirmed Friday that it has opened an investigation into a second Facebook page containing posts that mock migrants and members of Congress -- as an internal memo showed a top agency official blasting the “deplorable” social media activity from agents.
“CBP received screenshots of social media posts allegedly by CBP employees and has shared those posts with the Office of Professional Responsibility, the office charged with investigating potential employee misconduct,” CBP said in a statement to Fox News, adding that OPR had launched an investigation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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 statement said.
The Facebook group, reported by CNN, is called “The Real CBP Nation” and includes images of agents with the caption “Feelin kinda cute, might separate some families today Idk.” Another post mocks Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that migrants in detention were forced to drink out of toilets, with a meme that shows a mockup of her gesturing to a sink -- accompanied by the caption “Is this a toilet?”
“CBP does not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will hold those who violate our code of conduct accountable,” the statement from CBP said. “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.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The second page comes after a report Monday by ProPublica that described another Facebook group that included jokes about the deaths of migrants and a vulgar illustration of Ocasio-Cortez. Acting Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan launched a probe into that social media activity earlier this week.
A memo from Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez to CBP employees, obtained by Fox News, described the discovery of the initial Facebook group as “disappointing and unacceptable.”
“The views expressed in those posts are deplorable and do not represent the core values that we swear to uphold,” Perez wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I am confident that the allegations that have surfaced in recent days do not represent the vast majority of our employees who faithfully execute our mission responsibilities, going above and beyond the call of duty every day,” he said.
A senior CBP official told Fox News that they were surprised by the allegations and took them seriously, but noted that they don't monitor the online activities of more than 60,000 employees when they go home and log on to their computers.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s handling of increased migrant flows across the border, accused CBP of lying about how long they knew about the offensive content after Politico reported that officials had known about the group for years.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Looks like CBP lied,” Ocasio-Cortez charged Thursday, one day after the Politico story appeared. “Reporting shows they knew about it for *years.* This is a big deal.”
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She had previously asserted that the number of CBP employees reportedly involved in the Facebook group shows the agency has “a violent culture,” not just “a few bad eggs.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Dom Callichio contributed to this report.