FBI launches campaign to prevent border corruption

Don’t turn a blind eye: that’s what security officials are urging from the public when it comes to border corruption.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation held a news conference to raise awareness when it comes to agents on the border and corruption.

The FBI said there are 1,200 miles along the Texas -Mexico border. There’s eight ports of entry, along with two international airports and railroad crossings.

The FBI said all of these ports present an opportunity for corrupt officials to engage in illicit activity.

But what is border corruption? That is when a public official seeks to sell their official position for personal gain. It includes local, federal and state officers along with employees and military personnel. This could mean bribes, gifts and even sexual favors.

The FBI teamed up with Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to ask you for help.

What should you look out for?

“If you see anything that just doesn’t seem right, such as a U.S. border official living beyond their means or something strange happening at a port of entry or at one of the checkpoints inland, we want you to report that,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas E. Lindquist said.

Officials also added that seeing agents associating with known criminals is something you’d want to report.

ABC-7 asked officials if the campaign was a result of President Trump’s push for secure borders.

“It’s not; this is something that was planned last year and just rolled out at this time. We’ve been working public corruption, it’s been our number one priority for a long time and it’s just something we want to remind the public of on a regular basis,” Lindquist said.

If you want to report border corruption you can call the FBI at 915-832-5000.