In this episode of Powerful Voices, hosts Nick Paro and Zev Shalev are joined by Jenn Budd, a former Senior U.S. Border Patrol Agent turned advocate, to examine the entrenched culture of impunity inside Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Drawing on her six years inside Border Patrol and decades of subsequent research, Jenn delivers a stark assessment: these agencies are not “broken,” but structurally designed to evade accountability.
Jenn details how internal “critical incident” or “cover-up” teams have historically intervened after shootings or deaths to manipulate evidence and control narratives — practices she states have ensured that, in over a century of Border Patrol history, no agent has ever been successfully convicted for killing a civilian or migrant. She situates the killing of Renee Nicole Good within this continuum, arguing it reflects institutional reflex rather than individual failure.
The discussion traces how post-9/11 restructuring, politicized hiring practices, and ideological radicalization — including the blending of religious fundamentalism and far-right politics — have reshaped enforcement culture. Jenn describes a system that rewards aggression, treats dissent as “domestic terrorism,” and increasingly frames extrajudicial violence as justified or even virtuous.
Nick and Zev press the implications beyond immigration enforcement: voter intimidation, racialized targeting, and the normalization of state violence in public spaces. The episode closes with a call for civic preparedness — local organizing, institutional resistance, and collective presence — as the only meaningful counterweight to agencies that now operate with near-total legal and political immunity.
The bottom line from today — Jenn’s testimony is a warning. What is unfolding inside CBP and ICE is not episodic misconduct, but a durable enforcement ideology — one that treats lawlessness as mission-aligned and accountability as the enemy.
Actions You Can Take
Support Ukraine:
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:
Sign the Move-On Petitions:
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76
Thank you Rachel @ This Woman Votes, Sushipheliac 🍣🍥🍣, Assemblywoman Debra Mazzarelli, Christina Gurchinoff, BLONDE LEGALLY 🙋🏼♀️🧩🔍⚖️✨, and many others for tuning into my live video with Jenn Budd, Zev Shalev, and Nick Paro! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Banner & Backbone Authors’ Notes
You being here shows that you have already begun the process of unfurling new Banners and forging new Backbones for a more progressive America. Please, take the time to become a paid, or free, subscriber to the Network — supporting us all and ensuring everyone in America can hear these messages.
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
Join the uncensored media at the 1A Collective.
Support and subscribe to Banner & Backbone!
