Three Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at Newark Liberty International Airport have been arrested and charged for assaulting fellow agents in a series of horrific incidents in late 2016 and early 2017 involving what they called a “rape table.” CNN:
In both incidents, the two alleged victims were locked in a conference room and forced onto a table, which was referred to as a "rape table" by the men charged with assaulting the victims. The victims were held down by colleagues while one officer got on top of them and "moved his genitals up and down" in "simulation of a sex act," according to the press release.
CBP officers Tito Catota, 38, Parmenio I. Perez, 40, and Michael Papagni, 32, were charged with forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating and interfering with two men identified as victims in the criminal complaint. Both the victims were working as CBP officers when the incidents occurred, according to the press release.
“After CBP headquarters learned about the incidents, they placed 11 Newark employees, including three supervisors, on administrative duty and suspended their access to their firearms, badges, and sensitive databases pending the results of the investigation.” Three were “relieved of supervising duties.”
What makes this all more more horrific is that Donald Trump, who once bragged on tape about sexually assaulting women, actually wants to lower CBP hiring standards in order to hire thousands more agents. This would be a terrifying move that will endanger lives, considering CBP’s corruption rate has “exceeded that of any other US federal law-enforcement agency.”
More on the assaults from CNN:
One of the alleged victims joined PERT's Newark office in October 2016. On January 10, 2017, the victim was asked to forward a document. While the victim tried to scan the document with a co-worker, Papagni, Catota and another CBP officer grabbed him and threw him on top of the table. Perez then got on top of the victim and "grinded his body up and down" against the victim's genitals through his clothing, according to the press release.
The second alleged victim was assigned to the Port Director staff at the time of his alleged assault. The victim went to the PERT office to speak to one of the CBP officers on November 30, 2016. A few minutes after getting there, the victim noticed another CBP officer lock one of the doors to the office. When the victim tried to walk to the other door to leave, Catota, Papagni and Perez grabbed him and threw him on top of the table on his side. While two people held him down, the other person got on top of the victim and "moved his genitals up and down" the victim's leg, according to the press release.
"US Customs and Border Protection welcomes these indictments and fully supported the Office of the Inspector General-led investigation with Special Agents from our Office of Professional Responsibility," CBP told CNN. "We do not tolerate misconduct in our ranks and are committed to a safe workplace environment free of harassment or intimidation."
But the receipts show that CBP has had such an outrageous history of corruption that the Department of Homeland Security itself said last year that agents constituted “a national security threat.” Earlier this year, former DHS Sec. John Kelly and other Trump officials were sued after border agents allegedly violated international law by turning away asylum seekers, telling some that “Trump says we don’t have to let you in”:
In some cases, the complaint alleges, CBP officials have told people that “Donald Trump just signed new laws saying there is no asylum for anyone.” In other instances, border guards have allegedly threatened to take away the foreigners’ children unless they signed forms forgoing their asylum claims or said on camera that they had no fear of returning home.
Two asylum seekers who were turned away included a Central American mother and daughter who had been raped by gang members.
As for the Newark agents charged in the assaults, “both counts in the criminal complaint carry a maximum potential penalty of up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the news release.”