A former Border Patrol agent criticized the federal agency’s internal culture, accusing it of promoting an environment of abuse and corruption. Since leaving the agency in 2001, Jenn Budd has become an advocate for migrants and is demanding responsibility from her former employer.
“It took me about 15 years to really think about what I had done at the agency,” Budd told CBSN anchor Lana Zak on Wednesday. “The policies I was enforcing, the laws I was enforcing. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of PTSD since I was on the Border Patrol.”
Budd recently detailed her experience on the Border Patrol for the San Diego Union-Tribune, where she described being raped by a colleague and consistently retaliated for her gender.
“The reality of what the Border Patrol culture is is very different from what they portray to the outside world,” she said. “Frankly, I don’t see how anyone can hear what this agency says when children separated from their parents. For me, this is a line that should never have been crossed, and I don’t trust them. ”
Budd said her critical point was when she was shot during a night patrol along the US-Mexico border. The incident came after she investigated a senior agent for smuggling narcotics. After she asked for backup, the agent appeared and asked if she had “learned my lesson,” said Budd.
“It was obvious to me that he set this up, but I don’t know who was shooting,” said Budd.
Budd said the Border Patrol leadership would not let her turn the agent over to the FBI or the Anti-Drug Agency because of the smuggling charges. She says that, instead, she was offered a promotion that she declined. She left after six years at the agency.
“That fact is, even theirs [Customs and Border Protection] Home 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 any of the mistakes, claim 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 amid criticism that he did not investigate allegations of improper use of force by border agents. Tomsheck said his efforts to investigate abuse and corruption were hampered by the agency, which he said he believed was above the law.
Customs and Border Protection refused Budd’s characterizations.
“The allegations of abuse and corruption are taken very seriously, as the slightest indication erodes public confidence and subverts the Border Patrol’s ability to carry out its mission effectively,” said a statement from the agency.