A retired San Diego, California, border patrol officer confirmed the suspicions many have about the agency and revealed even more disturbing things. In an interview posted on TikTok, the former patrol officer confessed that she “felt like a [expletive] Nazi.”
The former agent, who was identified as Jenn Budd, stated that Border Patrol agents “hunt human beings, and that’s just a fact.” Having worked as a senior agent at the US-Mexico border, Budd provided an insider’s perspective on what the institution was like. “Border Patrol has always been a racist institution. It is so steeped in racism and White supremacy, and rape culture and brutality,” she alleged. Budd then explained that if the agents were trained to view the immigrants as human beings, they would not be able to treat them the way they do.
“You have to see yourself as different. Whether they are alive or dead, we call them bodies, we don’t call them people, we don’t call them human beings.” She added that they regarded those who were crossing the border as “tonks”. When the reporter asked what that meant, Budd clarified that it was a term the agents used, which was coined from the sound their flashlights made when they used them to hit immigrants.
The retired agent confessed that she played a part in dehumanizing immigrants, but concluded, “I need to stand up, and I need to be on the right side of history.” Just like any other content on the internet, the video got different reactions from users. On one hand, many were glad she had come forward with the truth.
“She realized she was doing wrong and now she is using her voice to educate others,” one netizen wrote. Another added, “She made a huge shift in consciousness. Don’t condemn. We have to unite.”
One TikToker penned, “Two things can be true: she caused harm, and coming forward now doesn’t ameliorate that. But also that what she is doing now is the right thing to do, and we need her and others to do it, and it may prevent future harm. We can hold space for both.” Echoing the same sentiment, another added, “I’m glad she’s taking accountability, and she’s using her voice to speak on this issue, rather than being too ashamed and staying quiet.”
Someone else pointed out, “Before y’all judge her, remember how Jesus chose his disciples,” and another added, “Good for her, regardless of how late she came to this conclusion. It’s better than never.” A TikToker applauded her courage, “It takes a lot of strength to admit you were part of the problem, and even more to decide you want to do better.”
On the other hand, however, some users felt that her realization had come a bit late, and emphasized that her admission did not absolve her of the wrong she had done. “Made it all the way to senior position before reaching this conclusion,” one wrote sarcastically, and another added, “‘This job was so dehumanizing I only spent 20 years doing it.’”
One TikToker said, ‘She’s brave, and I don’t condemn her, but why wait until you’re retired??? Why not come to reality while employed as an agent??” Another one wrote, “This admission does not excuse her from her crimes,” and a last one declared, “I don’t forgive her, sorry, good people don’t sign up for that in the first place.”
