(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . UTEP ‘research fellow’ is ex-Border Patrol official accused of sexual impropriety [1] ['Robert Moore', 'More Robert Moore', 'El Paso Matters'] Date: 2023-02-06 4:40 p.m. Feb. 6: This story has been updated with comments from the University of Texas at El Paso. A former Border Patrol official reportedly facing allegations of sexual improprieties has been listed in recent days as a “research fellow” on the University of Texas at El Paso’s website, though university officials say he was never an employee. UTEP officials declined to answer questions about how the former official, Tony Barker, came to be listed as a researcher for the university shortly after he suddenly left the Border Patrol. Tony Barker “Dr. Tony Barker is not or has never been an employee of UTEP,” said Lucas Roebuck, UTEP’s vice president for marketing and communications. Roebuck declined to answer questions about who at the university knew that Barker had been named a research fellow, or how that process worked. He said UTEP has research fellows who are paid by the university, and others who are not. UTEP began scrubbing references to Barker from its website Monday morning, after El Paso Matters raised questions over the weekend about his connection to the university. Barker had been listed as a research fellow at UTEP’s Center for Law and Human Behavior. UTEP touted Tony Barker’s “professional and academic experience” on the Center for Law and Human Behavior’s website. It’s not clear when Barker was first listed as a UTEP researcher. But a version of the center’s web page from Dec. 8, 2022, did not include him, according to an internet archive called Wayback Machine. Border Patrol investigation NBC reported in January that Barker is facing an internal investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of allegations that he pressured a subordinate into having sexual relations. Three other women have come forward with similar accusations, according to NBC. Barker has denied the allegations. The New York Times reported that the allegations against Barker surfaced as he was being considered last year for a top position in the Border Patrol. He left the Border Patrol on Oct. 14, an agency spokesperson told the Times. His last assignment was as acting chief of the Border Patrol’s law enforcement operations directorate. “The allegations that I pressured any woman for sexual favors or victimized them are entirely and unequivocally false,” Barker said in a statement to the New York Times in January. “I am proud of my 21 years of service with the U.S. Border Patrol. I am now taking this time to focus on my family and seek other opportunities.” This entry on the “expertise” page for UTEP’s Center for Law and Human behavior was removed Monday after El Paso Matters raised questions about Tony Barker’s role at the university. CBP spokesperson Justin Long told the Times that the agency, which includes Border Patrol, refers any allegations of misconduct for investigation. “We do not tolerate misconduct within our ranks,” he said. But Jenn Budd, a retired Border Patrol agent, said such investigations are not independent or focused on protecting victims and punishing offenders. She has become a vocal critic of the Border Patrol and CBP, which she accuses of fostering “rape culture.” “The American public will not know anything” of the outcome of the investigation of the accusations against Barker, Budd said. “They will not even tell you if they discipline him for this because of his privacy. The system is corrupt from the get-go.” Budd said the culture starts with top managers. “Typically, they’ll say, I know how hard it is to be a female Border Patrol agent here. I’m not that kind of guy. Let me help you out,” and then victimize women, she said. Barker at UTEP At UTEP, Barker was one of two research fellows at the Center for Law and Human Behavior. The other, Jeffrey Self, also is a former senior Border Patrol leader. The center’s director, Victor Manjarrez Jr., also retired from the Border Patrol. They are the only three staff members listed on the center’s website. Victor Manjarrrez Jr. Manjarrez did not respond to requests for comment from El Paso Matters. The center was founded in 2010 with an original focus on detainee interrogation research, according to a video Manjarrez posted last year. Barker was listed on the center’s website as “homeland security enterprise policy expert.” “Along our southwest border, we are experiencing a global migration at a volume and complexity that has never before been seen. Dr. Tony L. Barker is a subject matter expert in developing and innovating complex operational strategies and process designs to address these various factors, some of which are currently being utilized to address migration flows along our borders today,” the website said. Barker completed his doctoral dissertation in June with Capella University. [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2023/02/06/utep-hires-border-patrol-leader-facing-sex-allegations/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/