It should come as no surprise that ABC News is willing to publish unproven press releases from the Department of Homeland Security. They were the first media outlet to capitulate to Trump’s ridiculous lawsuits and pay him $16 million for referring to his civil conviction of sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll as “rape.” Whether this was a savvy business decision concerning a merger or not belies the reality that it set a precedent of ABC News licking the fascist boot.The press release in question is this one released on October 14th where Secretary Noem claimed that Mexican cartels are offering bounties for the targeting of ICE agents and anyone working with them. In this release, DHS throws down a claim that “Antifa” is supporting the cartels and that there are tiered payments being made for various things from $2,000 for information on ICE agents to $50,000 for assassinations of high-ranking officials. Never mind that they gave zero evidence for these accusations and that the organization known as “Antifa” does not actually exist and is simply slang for people who oppose fascism. The immigration enforcement agencies have a long history of creating fake press releases and intelligence documents and floating them to right-wing outlets claiming the cartel have unleashed bounties: And let us not forget how in 2005, the US Border Patrol admitted in court documents and DHS interviews that fake press releases and lying on government documents was part of their training, but that they could not show the manuals to prove the agents’ lies were common training because those manuals were “law enforcement sensitive.” Fake press releases were also created for this case in which agents lied to their supervisors, DEA, ICE and CBP as well as on K-9 narcotics apprehension reports and claimed that lying on official government documents was “policy:”Instead of floating these fake cartel threats through small no-nothing right-wing outlets willing to publish anything DHS and its agencies spew, ABC News has stepped up and demanded News Nation hold their beer. On the same day that DHS released the press release, ABC News anchor David Muir introduced this video piece on their primetime nightly news show by Pierre Thomas, Chief Justice Respondent which did not provide any evidence of or even verify these claims, but simply stated this was what DHS and Secretary Noem claimed was happening. ABC News then doubled down with a written piece by Luke Barr in which the opening line stated: “There is credible intelligence that members of Mexican drug cartels have offered a ‘tiered’ bounty system for hits against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).Two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings with putting a bounty on Greg Bovino, the CBP Commander overseeing the surge operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.”You read that correctly, ABC News is using the first press release from DHS claiming Chief Greg Bovino had a bounty placed on his life of $10,000 as the evidence that the second press release on tiered bounties is somehow credible. When the first press release was issued, I and other experts stated there was no evidence of this bounty and that the price was extremely low for a high-ranking Border Patrol agent. Then out comes the second press release upping Bovino’s bounty to $50,000. Just like Ali Bradley’s claims of cartel threats, there was no evidence save for a supposed memorandum that was not actually a memorandum but a screen shot of a flyer produced by Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector Intelligence Unit claiming there had been threats. No agents were targeted or shot at after News Nation made its claims. No San Diego Border Patrol official would speak of the threats nor confirm that her reporting was true. Like most things in the agency, the media moved on to the next story without ever addressing it. Do immigration enforcement agencies just make up intelligence? Yes. Just ask Pastor Kaji Dousa who sued the Border Patrol after agents accused her of performing weddings in Mexico with the intent to provide migrants with the means to commit marriage fraud in order to gain entry into the United States. It didn’t matter that she was performing marriage ceremonies in Tijuana, Mexico to couples who were both not US citizens. Border Patrol still claimed that a migrant had illegally crossed and gave them intelligence that she was committing these acts, and they decided to take away her Global Entry pass. She was then forced to take them to court for unlawful targeting.In March of 2023, she won her case because internal emails sought during discovery showed that high-ranking CBP officials used the “intelligence” developed by Border Patrol to target her and others. San Diego CBP Branch Chief Saro Oliveri admitted in court that the “intelligence” was made up:But you do not have to take my word for it, Mike Vigil, a former DEA official stated to the Latin Times that: “…the statement is not true. It is absolutely absurd because neither ICE nor CBP are a threat to cartels, and if they took action against them they would be in trouble. It’s absurd that cartels are focusing on them because many agencies in the U.S., including the DEA, are only focused in migrants,” he added. He is not wrong. ICE, Border Patrol and CBP are not focusing on narcotics seizures. In fact, Trump ordered federal agents to stop working on those cases and focus on kidnapping as many immigrants as they could find. The number of drug cases in the courts has dropped by 10% and is at its lowest in decades. With the border being covered by inexperienced military and many Border Patrol agents moved from the southern border to conduct ICE raids in the cities, it is easier than ever to cross narcotics illegally. And if you think the cartel is angry about ICE and other agents mass deporting immigrants, you’d be wrong. For the cartel, this is another money maker. Most of those being arrested and deported right now have no criminal convictions. They have families, work and even businesses here in the US. Once deported, they will not stay but attempt to get back to their families any way possible. This creates more business for the cartel like most of our immigration policies do. We have already seen people who were deported crossing illegally again as far back as March of this year. While the Border Patrol stopped counting “gotaways” once Trump took office, I can attest as a former agent that there are always gotaways. Always. I have noted Border Patrol checkpoints are down more than usual on the southern border, because they have sent so many agents into the cities to play ICE that they cannot fully staff them. Even Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum stated that Mexican Intelligence has no idea what Noem and DHS are talking about. She stated that there is no cartel bounty out on US federal agents, and DHS has refused to respond to her requests for evidence and information of these allegations. I grew up with ABC News every night. Watching them spread propaganda without the slightest bit of evidence is terrifying. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
A friend recently asked me to address people who are considering joining ICE, CBP or Border Patrol. I have been told that my book has talked a few out of joining. A few months ago, I talked a Border Patrol Explorer out of joining when he couldn’t deny the male agents were sexually harassing his explorers classmates who were girls. This is the talk he saw, a talk that shamed him. Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Update on the Iranian terror group local Los Angeles Fox News reported, and other updates. Trump just designated federal agencies tasked with reporting or studying climate change have been designated as national security agencies. Trump is correct that national security agencies cannot legally have bargaining units or unions. So, why is he allowing CBP and Border Patrol to maintain their unions while having national security designation? A designation which he gave to the agencies in 2020.Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. This in-depth research and analysis is not possible without your support. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
As they say, knowing is half the battle. Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Based on my studies of court cases since the agency's inception in 1924, it is rare for a Border Patrol agent to be brought to trial much less convicted of anything. They are almost never charged with a crime committed while in uniform. Juries are extremely prejudiced when the defendant is wearing a badge. The agency allows fellow agents to crowd the court rooms and testify that their pals could not have done the things they are being accused of even when the accused have pleaded guilty. Judges often comment in their sentencing that they are perplexed on how someone could be a hero in the community and commit such horrific crimes.Here are 3 case studies showing that there is a pattern and practice of judges letting violent Border Patrol back in uniform. Here is the link to the written article. Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, I address ICE raids, impersonators, a way to fight back and the MacArthur Park PR stunt. Apologies for the audio/video alignment. Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
During the last four years, current CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and the current Border Czar, Tom Homan travelled the country together giving talking after talk about how the border was wide open under Biden. This was a lie. The border and the asylum system were closed for over three years of the Biden Administration because of Trump’s Title 42 Covid policy. This is actually what caused all of the crossings in between the ports of entry that overwhelmed the Border Patrol. Today under Trump, with the asylum system still closed, the Border Patrol claims the border is no longer open but closed and that they have let zero “illegal immigrants” into the country last month. This is also a lie. Anyone released into the US from Border Patrol or CBP custody has been vetted and is given travel documents by those agencies making their status a legal one. So, I know they cannot be talking about those released from custody right. Right? What they actually mean is that the Border Patrol did not follow the asylum law last month and allow a single person who crossed without inspection to claim asylum and enter the country should they meet qualifications as is their right by US law. There are always got aways. Always. This means Border Patrol has not prevented all illegal crossings. They simply cannot because of the terrain and the multitude of ways people are smuggled into the country. There is no such thing as a 100% sealed border where Border Patrol has stopped all illegal entries. The statement itself borders on the absurd. Border Patrol has stopped releasing the “got away” counts since Trump took office again. They claim the military is guarding the border, but it takes years to learn the trails, sign cutting and how to track human beings. This video shows how their manpower is likely down because so many are out on ICE raids. As I say in the video, it is not that there are a large number crossing. Numbers are definitely down. It’s that the number of illegal crossings is not “zero.” Though honestly, nothing coming from this agency should be trusted in this moment.This trip to my old patrol area shows that instead of the border being closed or sealed with “zero” entering the country, agents and military are apprehending many migrants but also not reporting the got aways and not manning checkpoints. This is an old tactic the agency used in the 1990s when Clinton wanted Operation Gatekeeper to look like it had decreased crossings in our area. They ordered us not to go north of the first paved road, state highway 94, and we just let them go. We did not count them as got aways because we were ordered to not count them. Then the Border Patrol claimed Gatekeeper a success. This, I believe is the same tactic they are using today. As you will see, with checkpoints closed and few tracking, apprehensions and drug seizures will be low as well and they cannot say how many got aways or missed drug seizures there are with checkpoints being closed.The border is literally more open now than it ever was during Biden. They are just not apprehending everyone because it is not possible and because they have sent too many agents to conduct ICE raids. Personally, if I was a migrant looking to cross, I would do it now before it got hotter. The border has been abandoned for ICE raids. My apologies for the bad sound. I use an old car for these trips that is noisy, and I failed to bring a microphone. It is always emotional for me to go back. That is what causes some of the pauses in my speech; I am flashing back on events. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Wild to listen to a pod that is only a year. Things change so rapidly in this fraught era. Sarah is the author of four books on how America became a fascists dictatorship in what feels like an overnight coup, but we all know it wasn’t. Follow Sarah’s Substack newsletter here. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Sanho Tree joins me to discuss why CBP does not even inspect over 90% of cargo containers, why politicians do not care about fentanyl deaths and alternatives to this endless war on drugs. “Sanho Tree is a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and has been Director of its Drug Policy Project since 1998. A former military and diplomatic historian, his current work encompasses the reform of both international and domestic drug policies by promoting alternatives to the failed prohibitionist model. In recent years the project has focused on ending the damage caused by the drug wars in Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. Establishing humane and sustainable alternatives to the drug war fits into the IPS mandate as one of the major contemporary social justice issues at home and abroad.”Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
How far are we going go in accepting this “invasion” justification when it was Stephen Miller’s and Donald Trump’s Title 42 that caused asylum seekers to cross illegally? The data is clear: Title 42 caused illegal crossings to skyrocket as Trump former DHS ran around the country telling everyone the border was open. They stopped once Biden finally got the nerve to end the program, and they have been dropping every month since….since Trump closed the asylum system after using his self created “invasion” for justification. Smooth. But now he’s about to curb Americans’ civil rights claiming the same reason, “invasion.” Donald Trump, Republicans, Border Patrol Union and Fox News created the “invasion” just like they created the “Big Lie” that led to January 6th. Wake up. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Immigration attorney Mo Goldman discusses the journey of his grandmother from Nazi concentration camps to the US, and how it relates to what we are seeing today. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
During the first Trump Administration, Americans were shocked to see the level of violence perpetrated by local, state and federal officials on relatively peaceful demonstrations. The level of state violence has only increased since then, spreading from universities protesting about Gaza to women being killed by their states refusing to provide them with medical care for their pregnancies to disappearing the undocumented, the documented and even the US citizens. Join us for this timely discussion. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe
Originally filmed December 2023.The US Border Patrol likes to brag that the rate of arrest for their agents is below the national standard for law enforcement agencies at 1% of their total force. However, the agency is constantly caught omitting arrests and relies on its agents to self report their arrests. This is done to artificially keep their rate of arrest for employees below 1%. They even brag about this low arrest rate on the CBP.gov website. There’s just one problem: Border Patrol has to add the crossing the border without inspection charge to the stats just to make their agents look less criminal. This causes an unequal comparison as agents cannot be charged with entering without inspection. Once that statistic is removed, we can see the real rate of migrants with criminal backgrounds apprehended. Migrants arrested by Border Patrol from 2018-2023 have had a lower criminal arrest rate than the agents arresting them. Yes, you read that correctly. From 2018-2023, Border Patrol agents have been charged with crimes more per population than the people they are arresting for immigration crimes. Get full access to Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd at jennbudd.substack.com/subscribe