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A former border patrol agent criticized the internal culture of the federal agency, accusing it of promoting an environment of abuse and corruption. Since leaving the agency in 2001, Jenn Budd has become a migrant advocate and holds her former employer to account.
“It took me about 15 years to really think about what I had done in the agency,” Budd told CBSN presenter Lana Zak Wednesday. “The policies I applied, the laws I applied. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of PTSD since I was in the border patrol.”
Budd recently detailed her border patrol experience at the Union-Tribune in San Diego, where she described being raped by a co-worker and constantly hit back because of her gender.
“The reality of what border patrol culture is is quite different from what they portray to the outside world,” she said. “Frankly, I don’t see how anyone can listen to what this agency is saying when they children separated from their parents. For me, that’s a line that should never have been crossed, and I don’t trust them. ”
Budd said her tipping point was when she was shot while on a night patrol along the US-Mexico border. The incident occurred after she investigated a high-ranking drug trafficker. After calling for backup, the agent showed up and asked if she had “learned my lesson,” Budd said.
“It was obvious to me that he set this up, but I don’t know who was doing the filming,” Budd said.
Budd said the Border Patrol leadership would not let them turn the agent over to the FBI or the Drug Enforcement Agency for the contraband allegations. She says they gave her a promotion instead, which she declined. She resigned after six years with the agency.
“This fact is, even theirs [Customs and Border Protection] internal affairs commissioner James Tomsheck said the agency was the most corrupt agency in the United States. They have a narcissistic mentality. They refuse to admit the wrongs, pretend that they are not racist, that they are not sexist, that they do not have a rape culture, ”said Budd.
The border agency removed Tomsheck from his role in 2014, after he criticized his failure to investigate allegations of improper use of force by border officials. Tomsheck said his efforts to investigate abuse and corruption were hampered by the agency, which he said was above the law.
Customs and border protection have pushed back Budd’s characterizations.
“Allegations of abuse and corruption are taken very seriously because the slightest clue erodes public confidence and weakens the ability of the border patrol to effectively carry out its mission,” said a statement from the agency.
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