CREW investigating Border Patrol agent who touted “great replacement” theory

In April 2022, Border Patrol agent Brandon Judd appeared on Fox News and touted the far-right “great replacement” theory to anchor Bill Hemmer—a conspiracy theory that white Americans are being systematically “replaced” for Democrats’ political gain.

CREW has launched an investigation, requesting all communications sent or received by Judd that mention terms suggesting the “replacing” of white Americans, including “white genocide,” “demographic change” and “liberal voters” since January 1, 2020. CREW also requested all communications between Judd and any employees, agents or representatives of Fox News and Newsmax, right-wing outlets with viewers more likely to believe that this “replacement” is occurring.

The racist conspiracy theory, which has grown increasingly popular on far-right web forums and entered the mainstream among conservative pundits and right-wing politicians, suggests that Democrats are working to skew the electorate to the left and stay in power by weakening the southern border to allow more immigrants into the U.S., deliberately changing the demographics of the country. The theory has been cited as inspiration for several racially motivated mass shootings including the May 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

Judd is also the president of the National Border Patrol Council union, and has criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies for “breaking” the Border Patrol.

The requested records will shed light on how prevalent the “great replacement” theory is within Customs and Border Protection. Judd is a federal employee who is paid by U.S. taxpayers to police the nation’s borders. The public deserves to know how popular the conspiracy theory is within our law enforcement agencies, and who else is promoting rhetoric that has already led to deadly racially motivated violence.