Border Agent Called Immigrants 'Subhuman S**t' And Racist Slurs In Text Messages
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Border Agent Called Immigrants 'Subhuman S**t' And Racist Slurs In Text Messages
Marina Fang, HuffPost Mon, May 20 10:44 AM EDT 
A Border Patrol agent in Arizona, who faces federal charges for allegedly hitting an undocumented immigrant with his truck, routinely used profanities and racist slurs to describe immigrants he apprehended at the border, according to federal court documents reported Sunday by the Arizona Daily Star .
Among a trove of text messages cited by prosecutors, Matthew Bowen called immigrants “disgusting subhuman shit unworthy of being kindling for a fire.” He also advocated for more violence toward migrants apprehended at the border, writing that President Donald Trump should “PLEASE let us take the gloves off.”
Last year, Bowen was charged with striking Antolin Lopez Aguilar, a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, with his Border Patrol truck ― coming “within inches of running Lopez-Aguilar over,” according to a federal indictment.
Bowen was also charged with allegedly falsifying his report about the incident.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Bowen’s other text messages cited in the court filings include exchanges in which he jokes about violence toward migrants apprehended for illegally crossing the border.
In one conversation, an unidentified person texted Bowen: “Did you gas hiscorpse (sic) or just use regular peanut oil while tazing?? For a frying effect.”
Bowen responded: “Guats are best made crispy, with olive oil from their native pais.” “Pais,” the Spanish word for “country,” is also “a derogatory term for Guatemalan citizens,” the Arizona Daily Star reported.
In several text messages, Bowen refers to the migrants as “tonks” or “toncs.” Some Border Patrol agents say that the term stands for “Territory of Origin Not Known” or “Temporarily Outside Native Country,” if officials cannot determine from what country the immigrant came, the Arizona Republic reported last year.
But others say that it’s a slur mimicking the sound of an apprehended migrant’s head being hit by a flashlight.
In other texts, Bowen also called undocumented immigrants “mindless murdering savages.”
Bowen’s lawyer Sean Chapman claimed that the denigrating language is “commonplace throughout the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, that it is part of the agency’s culture,” according to the court filings.
Officials for the Border Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.
Border Patrol officials told the Arizona Daily Star that agents are “held to the highest standards, and any action of misconduct within our ranks will not be tolerated.” They did not respond to Chapman’s claim that Bowen’s use of offensive language was “commonplace” among his fellow agents.
Read the full report from the Arizona Daily Star here .
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A Border Patrol agent in Arizona, who faces federal charges for allegedly hitting an undocumented immigrant with his truck, routinely used profanities and racist slurs to describe immigrants he apprehended at the border, according to federal court documents reported Sunday by the Arizona Daily Star.
Among a trove of text messages cited by prosecutors, Matthew Bowen called immigrants “disgusting subhuman shit unworthy of being kindling for a fire.” He also advocated for more violence toward migrants apprehended at the border, writing that President Donald Trump should “PLEASE let us take the gloves off.”
Last year, Bowen was charged with striking Antolin Lopez Aguilar, a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, with his Border Patrol truck ― coming “within inches of running Lopez-Aguilar over,” according to a federal indictment.
Bowen was also charged with allegedly falsifying his report about the incident.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Bowen’s other text messages cited in the court filings include exchanges in which he jokes about violence toward migrants apprehended for illegally crossing the border.
In one conversation, an unidentified person texted Bowen: “Did you gas hiscorpse (sic) or just use regular peanut oil while tazing?? For a frying effect.”
Bowen responded: “Guats are best made crispy, with olive oil from their native pais.” “Pais,” the Spanish word for “country,” is also “a derogatory term for Guatemalan citizens,” the Arizona Daily Star reported.
I hope this guy gets some prison time.
'In other texts, Bowen also called undocumented immigrants “mindless murdering savages.”
Sounds like this border patrol agent is the mindless murdering savage.
I have to wonder how many migrants these bastards have killed and buried in the desert there.
I have to wonder how many migrants these bastards have killed and buried in the desert there.
So you're saying that all border agents are heartless bastards and that border jumpers are all wonderful and law-abiding people.
Do you support vigilance justices toward immigrants by government employees based on their racism and xenophobia?
"These bastards".
I didn't see any other agents charged in your article. Did I miss something? And did I miss the allegation of murder against the agent in the story?
Obviously
Living in the same area where this took place, l know many Border Patrol agents around here. The great majority by far are good honest men and women trying to do their jobs as best they can. But, as with any job field, there are always the few proverbial bad apples in the barrel that tarnish a lot of other good people. I hope this individual is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This is not the kind of person I want guarding the border that is 6 blocks away from my front door in SE Arizona.
I agree with you. No one I know would ever support his actions. Let the court system deal with him appropriately.
But let's not tarnish the entire BP because of one man's actions. That would be silly.
Well stated
If this guy really did what the article says he did, then he is not the brightest of the bunch because he should have known that the snowflakes would be triggered. However, I find it amusing that liberals find this to be a bad thing, but them posting and saying pretty much the same thing about Americans that do not agree with them on many news channels and blogs like this is not only an accepted practice, but an expected one.
Cannot make sense of your word salad.
Sounds like you approve of what the border agent said and did.
Obviously this isn't the only bad apple in the bunch.
It would be 'silly' to think otherwise.
Oh, Tessy. I do apologize for causing your confusion. I realized I posted a comment in your seed with words that have more than 2 syllables. Let me try and clarify for better understanding...
Liberal- Person say some people not human or scum...person bad
Liberal- Person say Trump supporters not human or are scum...person good. Keep saying.
Now, I do understand there are a few words with more than 2 syllable words in my clarification. If you still have difficulty, please let me know...
Thanks...