A U.S. Border Patrol agent has admitted to forcing several migrant women to expose their breasts while processing their paperwork during their entry into the country in 2023.
Shane Millan, 53, pleaded guilty to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York said in a statement last week.
At the time of the crime, Millan was stationed in Wellesley Island in northern New York State when he was tasked with remotely processing immigrants entering the U.S. through the southern border.
In August 2023, while processing one migrant woman’s paperwork during a virtual meeting, he falsely claimed her paperwork stated she had a tattoo on her chest, per a plea agreement reviewed by PEOPLE.
When the woman, identified only as P.L.R in court documents, stated that she did not have a tattoo, Millan ordered her to expose her chest.
She “lifted her shirt and bra, and exposed her bare breasts” to Millan over the webcam, while her 1-year-old daughter was next to her. Towards the end of the processing, Millan asked her again to show her chest to “reconfirm she did not have any tattoos,” the plea agreement states.
When the woman refused, he said he would not sign the paperwork unless he was certain that there was no tattoo. She then showed her breasts on the webcam again.
About two weeks later, around Aug. 25, Millan was virtually processing the paperwork of another woman, identified as A.P.G., who was present in the room with her husband and child.
Millan ordered the husband and child out of the room and ordered A.P.G. to lift her shirt and bra, after she had already told him the tattoo she had was near her collarbone and showed it to him.
She woman lifted her bra and exposed her breasts on the webcam, before repeating it again towards the end of the interview to comply with his orders.
The plea agreement states around August 2023, Millan ordered several women to do the same.
He also searched for Spanish translations for how to order the women to expose their breasts, per the plea agreement. The translations included phrases such as: “I will need you to lift your shirt and bra also, please” and “Can you lift it higher please.”
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Millan’s conduct defied U.S. Customs and Border Protection policy that prohibits agents from engaging in “voyeurism” during such processing, and requires them to seek supervisory approval for strip searches, the agreement states.
Millan is scheduled to be sentenced on July 5 and faces up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $200,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in their statement.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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