A former Border Patrol agent criticized the federal agency’s internal culture, accusing it of promoting an environment of abuse and corruption. Since Jenn Budd left the agency in 2001, she has become an advocate for migrants, demanding accountability from her former employer.
“It took me about 15 years to really think about what I’d done in the agency,” Budd told CBSN anchor Lana Zak on Wednesday. “The policies that I enforced, the laws that I enforced. Frankly, I had a lot of PTSD since I joined the border guard.”
Budd recently detailed her Border Patrol experience to the San Diego Union Tribune, where she described having been raped by a co-worker and consistently retaliating for her gender.
“The reality of what 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 listen to what this agency is saying when they’ve done that separated children from their parentsTo 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 on during a night patrol along the US-Mexico border. The incident took place after she investigated a high-ranking agent for narcotics smuggling. After calling for help, the officer showed up and asked if she “learned my lesson,” Budd said.
“It was clear to me that he set that up, but I don’t know who did the shooting,” Budd said.
Budd said the border patrol leadership would not allow her to turn the agent over to the FBI or the Drug Enforcement Agency over the allegations of smuggling. She says they instead offered her a promotion which she declined. She retired from the agency after six years.
“That is even their own fact [Customs and Border Protection] Commissioner of the Interior, James Tomsheck, said that office is the most corrupt office in the United States. They have a narcissistic mindset. They refuse to admit the mistakes, claim that they are not racist, that they are not sexist, that they do not have a rape culture, “Budd said.
The border agency removed Tomsheck from his role in 2014 amid criticism that he had not investigated allegations of inappropriate use of force by border agents. 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 pushed back on Budd’s characterizations.
“Allegations of abuse and corruption are taken very seriously, as the slightest hint diminishes public confidence and undermines the Border Patrol’s ability to carry out its mission effectively,” the agency said.