Wayne County Star
Feds Investigate "Border Patrol" Web Posts
2009-07-21,Louise Hoffman Broach Wayuga Editor
There were three posts showing different Border Patrol/Homeland Security Internet Protocol addresses in response to a story on the Star’s website about a June 12 Border Patrol detention of Mexican nationals on Lake Ontario.
One post pretended to be from a woman with a Mexican boyfriend; the other two posts insinuated the boat had come from Cuba, berated farmers, accused them of breaking the law and praised the Border Patrol for doing a good job.
The posts, which were made anonymously on June 20 and 21, identified themselves on the public part of the website with fake Internet addresses: Imaapplehog2@yahoo.com, poorbabies@hotmail.com and hahaha@hotmail.com. The Star discovered they all had Internet protocol addresses that showed as originating from cbp.dhs.gov. Dhs.gov is the homepage of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The post from the pretend girlfriend, sent by Imaapplehog2@yahoo.com, appeared in response to another post also from a fake email: dirtymex@applelover.com.: “watcha doing to mi wifey, no checky her papeles. she no legal, but she havey benifit card. oh wait, take her and I get me a applehog till I go to Mexico. Viva la Raza!!!” That post originated from a Rochester Roadrunner Internet protocol.
The response, which indicated it came from bcp3.cbp.dhs.gov, read, “That sounds like my boyfriend. Leave him alones and get your own. My boyfriend works sometimes but he is really good at getting FREE benefits from the Federal and State government.”
On June 18, the day after the story about the Border Patrol boat detention appeared in the Star, the newspaper received a phone call from a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Oswego. The officer wanted to know how to get a copy of the story and the photos that accompanied it. He was told by the paper’s editor he could access it online, but he indicated he had already been on the website, and it was not working. The site came back on line June 20, the day the posts began appearing.
After the IP locations were discovered, the newspaper contacted Healy and provided him with copies of the posts. He notified the U.S. Attorney Office in the Western District in Buffalo and asked for a federal investigation. Healy said the matter has been turned over to Richard Ford, the Office of Homeland Security’s Inspector General in the Western District. Healy said he provided copies of the posts to the federal agencies.
The Star has found more posts on its website purportedly from a hidden cbp.dhs.gov address on July 14, made by someone who listed their name as Screech. One of those posts challenged the views of Dr. Lorrie Ghertner, owner of Blossomview Nursing Home and a farmworker rights advocate. The name Screech also showed up on other posts relating to the boat raid that were not identified as coming from border patrol computers.
Additionally, the Star found hidden cbp.dhs posts dating back to November of 2008 on various and stories. All of the posts were turned over to Ford at his request.
Ford indicated to the Star the case must be thoroughly investigated regarding the source of the posts. He would not comment on the investigation for publication.
The Department of Homeland Security Policy on Personal Use of Government Office Equipment considers an inappropriate personal use “creating copying or transmitting any material or communication that is illegal or offensive to fellow employees or to the public, such as hate speech, material that ridicules others based on race, creed, religion, sex, disability, national orientation or sexual orientation.”
It also warns about proper representation, noting that employees must ensure that personal use does not give the appearance of acting in an official capacity. “For example, DHS employees may not post DHS information to external newsgroups, bulletin boards or other public forums without DHS authorization, “ according to the policy.
If the actions of a DHS employee “leaves the impression that his/her personal activities are endorsed by DHS, the employee may be in violation of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Executive Branch Employees.”
Sanctions may result in loss or limitation of employees’ privilege. Employees may also face administrative action ranging from counseling to removal from the Agency, as well as criminal penalties, depending on the severity of the misuse.