Author Archive

A.C. Thompson

Staff Reporter, ProPublica

A.C. Thompson is a staff reporter with ProPublica. His stories, which often examine the criminal justice system, have helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison and the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers. In addition to working as a print and web journalist, Thompson has reported extensively for television, serving as a producer and correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. His life was fictionalized on the HBO show “Treme.”
A.C. Thompson is a staff reporter with ProPublica. His stories, which often examine the criminal justice system, have helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison and the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers. In addition to working as a print and web journalist, Thompson has reported extensively for television, serving as a producer and correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. His life was fictionalized on the HBO show “Treme.”
Management

House Committee to Subpoena Records on Discipline Related to Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group

Rep. Carolyn Maloney says Customs and Border Protection won’t turn over records identifying agents disciplined or fired for their offensive posts

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Oversight

After a Year of Investigation, the Border Patrol Has Little to Say About Agents’ Misogynistic and Racist Facebook Group

The Border Patrol vowed a full accounting after ProPublica revealed hateful posts in the private Facebook group. Now congressional investigators say the agency is blocking them and revealing little about its internal investigation.

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Management

How a Key Federal Civil Rights Agency Was Sidelined as Historic Protests Erupted

Launched by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the Community Relations Service has been without a director and short-staffed during recent unrest. The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to eliminate the agency.

  • A.C. Thompson and Robert Faturechi, ProPublica
Workforce

The FBI Is Investigating Massive Embezzlement of Border Patrol Union Funds

The head of the powerful union representing border patrol agents nationwide said the FBI is working to identify who stole some $500,000 out of the coffers of the El Paso local. The theft raises more questions about lawlessness in the union’s ranks.

  • A.C. Thompson and Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica
Workforce

'Dirtbag,' 'Savages,' 'Subhuman': A Border Agent’s Hateful Career and the Crime That Finally Ended It

Border Patrol agent Matthew Bowen had been investigated for years before he used his 4,000-pound truck to assault a fleeing migrant.

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Management

Border Patrol Condemns Secret Facebook Group, but Reveals Few Specifics

The agency won’t say how many employees have been disciplined or warned in the ongoing scandal over offensive social media posts.

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Oversight

Investigation of Secret Border Patrol Group Launched as New Degrading Facebook Posts Surface

A ProPublica story revealing demeaning posts directed at Latina lawmakers prompted widespread revulsion.

  • A.C. Thompson and Dara Lind, ProPublica
Featured eBooks
Budget Outlook for Fiscal 2025
AI in the Workplace
Asia-Pacific Outlook
Defense

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes

The three-year-old group, which has roughly 9,500 members, shared derogatory comments about Latina lawmakers who plan to visit a controversial Texas detention facility on Monday, calling them “scum buckets” and “hoes.”

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Management

Years Ago, the Border Patrol’s Discipline System Was Denounced as 'Broken.' It’s Still Not Fixed.

An expert panel’s pleas for swifter, more consistent, more transparent punishment of rogue agents languish.

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Management

Over 200 Allegations of Abuse of Migrant Children; 1 Case of Homeland Security Disciplining Someone

A federal judge found the department’s own records disturbing and ordered the names of the accused agents made public. Now, DHS has taken its fight against doing so to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

  • A.C. Thompson, ProPublica
Featured eBooks
Budget Outlook for Fiscal 2025
AI in the Workplace
Asia-Pacific Outlook