Border Patrol officials who partied with Mexican tequila mogul are now under investigation (2024)
Two top Border Patrol officials are underinvestigationafter theypartied with and were hosted by a wealthy Mexican tequila maker who hoped to make a Border Patrol-branded tequila, three sources familiar with the probe told NBC News.
The sources said the relationship between distiller Francisco Javier González and Border Patrol chief Jason Owens and Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sector chief Gloria Chavez has raised questions about whether the officials disclosed their contact with a foreign national, a requirement for those who receivetopsecurity clearances, and whether they accepted anything that could be a violation of ethical rules. The Customs and Border ProtectionOffice ofProfessional Responsibility, the agency’s internal watchdog, is investigating.
In photos posted on social media this February, Owens and Chavez were seen in Jalisco, Mexico, with González at Tequila Casa de los González, his family’s distillery complex.
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Their relationship stretches back to at least July 2023, when González hosted a party for Customs and Border Protection leadership in Laredo, Texas, two Department of Homeland Security officials said. González is the grandson of the founder of Don Julio tequila, a major international brand, and his family remains prominent in the industry.
According to two sources familiar with the probe, at some point, González and the Border Patrol leaders discussed making a Border Patrol-branded tequila for the 100th anniversary of the Border Patrol, to be celebrated at a multi-day event in El Paso, Texas, later this month.The Border Patrol tequila project has been shelved amid the ongoing CBP investigation, three sources told NBC News.
A spokesperson for CBP did not say whether Owens and Chavez disclosed their contact with González or how they paid for their travel to Mexico. Jalisco,known for its tequila industry,is a two-hour flight from San Antonio,Texas.In a statement, a spokesperson for CBP said, "CBP has confidence in our senior leaders and holds them to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Consistent with our commitment to accountability, we thoroughly investigate all allegations and take appropriate action to address any issues identified throughout the course of investigations. CBP will continue to reinforce our commitment to the agency’s standards at all levels."
“CBP officials frequently maintain ties with local businesses. But at the same time, CBP officials also are aware of the potential for things to go wrong in that kind of a relationship,” said Tom Warrick, a former DHS counterterrorism official who directs the Future of DHS Project at the Atlantic Council think tank. “CBP has very high standards for integrity and security. And this is why I think even pictures like this are taken very seriously by CBP.”
González and his company, Tequila Reserva de los González, did not respond to requests for comment on Owens and Chavez, their visit to Jalisco, the Laredo party or plans for a Border Patrol tequila.
While Border Patrol tequila is now off the menu, the agency is still preparing for its 100th anniversary celebration in El Paso later this month. A schedule posted online includes two golf tournaments, a parade and a black-tie gala over several days in late May.
The event’swebsitelists four sponsors. Three are large CBP contractors that combined have received hundreds of millions in government contracts.
The companies did not respond to requests for comment.Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a good government nonprofit, said the sponsorship alone raises questions. “This scenario raises a million red flags of the appropriateness of government contractors feting their public sector customers,” she said.
The new allegations are the latest controversy in a tumultuous year-and-a-half for the nation’s largest law enforcement agency.
In January 2023, Tony Barker, acting chief of law enforcement operations, abruptly resignedamid allegations he pressured female employees for sex.
In February 2024,Border Patrol’s second in command, Joel Martinez, retiredamid allegations of sexual misconduct with female employees. A whistleblower report the same month questioned why CBP’s chief medical officer tried to orderfentanyl lollipopsfor a mission providing security for the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York in the fall of 2023.
Julia Ainsley
Julia Ainsley is homeland security correspondent for NBC News and covers the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Didi Martinez
Didi Martinez is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Laura Strickler
Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. She is based in Washington.
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for securing the borders of the United States.
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officials who partied with tequila mogul are also under investigation for ties to wealthy border businessman. CBP's watchdog is now investigating whether Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, sector head Gloria Chavez and others fully disclosed their contacts with businessman Eduardo Garza.
With a budget of $17.5 billion in fiscal year 2023 and more than 63,000 personnel, CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the country, and more than 85 percent of the agency's Border Patrol agents (i.e., 16,878 of 19,648) are concentrated on the southern border.
Generally, customs officers may stop people at the border to determine whether they are admissible to the United States, and they may search people's belongings for contraband. This is true even if there is nothing suspicious about you or your luggage.
Protecting our borders from the illegal movement of weapons, drugs, contraband, and people, while promoting lawful trade and travel, is essential to homeland security, economic prosperity, and national sovereignty.
Improve security and enforcement technology at ports of entry through additional cameras/surveillance of traffic/pedestrian areas, non-intrusive inspection technology improvements, development and deployment of hand-held technologies for data and detection, expansion of facilities to allow for secondary inspection, ...
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $129,285 and as low as $44,411, the majority of Border Patrol Agent salaries currently range between $45,900 (25th percentile) to $110,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $114,974 annually in California.
Border patrol agents are usually responsible for larger areas, such as off-road regions with few or no other security measures. CBP officers work almost exclusively at ports of entry, such as airports, and may spend more time inspecting packages and processing paperwork than interacting with people.
All persons, baggage, and merchandise arriving in, or departing from, the United States are subject to inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This search authority includes all electronic devices crossing our nation's borders.
To facilitate notification, CBP has added a traveler compliance check to the I-94 website or CBP One™ mobile application. You can find the traveler compliance check under the 'View Compliance' tab. While the email notification is new, there is no change in CBP's policies or enforcement actions.
Someone at a port of entry who demonstrates his/her US citizenship to the satisfaction of the immigration officers has met the immigration inspection requirements and must be allowed to enter the US, even if he/she does not have a US passport or meet other entry requirements.
In 2014, the US declared a crisis at the border due to an influx of unaccompanied minors and women making their way through checkpoints. The US southern border had long struggled with implementing policies that aim to prevent immigration-related tragedies.
Typical Assignments Include: Detecting, preventing, and apprehending undocumented noncitizens, smugglers of noncitizens, and illegal narcotics by maintaining surveillance from covert positions at or near the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and over 2,000 miles of coastal borders.
Congress needs to dramatically increase resources so that the current system works more efficiently, and we also need to reduce pressures on the system—at the border, in the immigration courts, and in local communities—by creating more secure, orderly pathways for people to come to the United States.
As the United States' first unified border entity, CBP takes a comprehensive approach to border management and control, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity.
In both fiscal years 2022 and 2023, Border Patrol reported over two million apprehensions of migrants who crossed the southern border illegally, both all-time highs. Owens said the extraordinary flow of people into the U.S. is mainly driven by cartels.
Agents primarily patrol the Mexico–United States border, where they control drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The majority of Border Patrol agents are minorities. According to 2016 data, Latinos constitute slightly more than 50% of the Border Patrol.
Over 21,370 Border Patrol Agents protect and patrol 1,900 miles (3,100 km) of border with Mexico and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of border with Canada. Nearly 1,050 Air and Marine Interdiction Agents prevent people, weapons, narcotics, and conveyances from illegal entry by air and water.
With more than 60,000 employees, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, is one of the world's largest law enforcement organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. while facilitating lawful international travel and trade.
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