A complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General against CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott alleges the agency head utilized the agency’s internal affairs office to “consolidate power and attack colleagues he mistakenly perceives as his political enemies.” The complaint was addressed to DHS Inspector General Dr. Joseph Cuffari.
In the complaint to the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the whistleblower described themselves as currently working in Commissioner Scott’s office at CBP in a position that affords the complainant “a front-row seat to important internal decisions” within CBP. The complaint alleges Assistant CBP Commissioner Jennifer Barreras-Rawls, who was tasked with leading the agency’s OPR internal affairs office, resigned due to Scott’s abuse of authority.
Barreras-Rawls, a former CBP employee who served as a Division Chief at the United States Border Patrol Headquarters Office, retired with more than 25 years of service to the agency. She served as the Kendall County Republican Party chair in Texas in 2025 before assuming the post as CBP Assistant Commissioner.
The complainant alleges there are many corrupt activities attributed to Scott, but only provided details on the alleged circumstances regarding Barrera-Rawls resignation and two others that include using the agency’s internal affairs OPR office to manufacture a “perjury trap” against El Centro Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino and the use of the Signal communications platform to direct activities with “cronies” for his purposes.
According to a Washington Examiner report, it was filed on February 25. Three sources within the Department of Homeland Security told the Examiner about their knowledge of the activities outlined in the complaint, describing the actions as the CBP leader lashing out over “personal or political vendettas” against his subordinates.
The complainant alleges that Scott used the finalization of Barreras-Rawls’ pay upgrade to the Senior Executive Service (SES) to exert power over her to carry out unauthorized investigations. According to the complaint, Barrere-Rawls was asked to open investigations into several senior political appointees and a career official at CBP related to staff reorganization decisions carried out by DHS officials.
The whistleblower alleges that Barreras-Rawls was advised by CBP’s Office of Chief Counsel that it would be improper for OPR to open investigations without a formal written complaint. The whistleblower alleges Scott told Barrras-Rawls he did not want to put things in writing because he had other ways to “get them.”
The complaint alleges that OPR was used like a “secret police force to target political enemies,” describing an incident related to the Chicago Headliners case filed against the Trump administration over immigration enforcement actions in Chicago earlier this year.
The whistleblower also asserts that Bovino, who at the time was serving as Commander of CBP personnel in Chicago, testified in federal court that his team of Border Patrol agents was following a court-issued Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by Judge Sara Ellis regarding ICE and CBP operations in the city. According to the Washington Examiner, the testimony concerned his agents’ use of body-worn cameras while operating in Chicago. CBP’s OPR subsequently issued a letter of reprimand to a member of Bovino’s security detail who was not wearing a body camera.
The disciplinary letter, initially served on the employee, was retracted shortly after issuance after an examination of the court order revealed non-uniformed employees were exempt from the requirement, and the employee in question was wearing plain clothes at the time of the ill-perceived infraction, according to the Washington Examiner report.
The latest whistleblower complaint only adds to the turmoil underway at both Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, its parent agency. On Thursday, President Trump announced on social media that he was reassigning DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to work as a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas” initiative. Trump nominated Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin to succeed Secretary Noem.
As exclusively reported by Breitbart Texas, another whistleblower provided documentation showing CBP is collaborating with two ex-Biden DHS officials who oversaw the record-breaking border failures on a current project that involves the agency’s National Targeting Center. The pair of ex-Biden officials includes one ex-ICE Chief of Staff who has referred to recent Trump immigration enforcement efforts as “racist policies.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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