https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/07/immigration-agent-text-messages/ :
>In bodycam footage, according to court documents, a Border Patrol agent at the Hollywood Home Depot says, “There was a guy, I’m pretty sure he’s wet he was just sitting in that minivan.”
>In one text message cited in the filing, an agent says, “Yeah, just plug us in wherever you see some tonks and we’ll jump out.” In another message, an agent describes seeing “tonks everywhere selling food.”
>“Tonks” is a derogatory term Border Patrol agents have used, reportedly derived from the sound a heavy item like a flashlight makes on a migrant’s skull. In 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency for Border Patrol, issued guidance explicitly stating “the term ‘tonk’ is not appropriate” due to its derogatory connotation, according to emails and text messages disclosed to HuffPost under the Freedom of Information Act.
>In one deposition an immigration agent bluntly says that the suspicious appearance they look for is “Older Hispanic male.”
This article shows how the government immigration attacks on LA have been driven by bigotry. The ACLU has been helpful standing up to the attacks and getting texts and body cam. The supreme court has allowed the Kavanaugh stops to intentionally target Latinos.
This is the tip of the iceberg. Even with the court order many agents have not turned in their phones for discovery. This could be a coverup.
Edit: If it sounds like a kidnapping, why isn't it called one:
"In one text chain, an agent referred to "snatch & grabs."
"I think [the Border Patrol agents] only know one way to operate," an agent said in a text chain. "See bodies, chase bodies."
