Customs agents did their best

As the president of the union which represents 25,000 Customs and Border Patrol employees at airports, seaports and land border crossings, I want to caution about accepting unverified reports as facts (“Ordinary Americans carried out inhumane acts for Trump,” Feb. 6). Our CBP officers are good people who do important work for the government and the country. When the immigration order was put in place — with no advance notice — they did their best to carry out the mission of CBP and comply with the law under very difficult circumstances. Each day, they strive to do their jobs in the most professional and compassionate way possible.

Because of the sensitive nature of their work and privacy concerns, CBP officers are not permitted to discuss operational issues or sensitive security information with the media, which gives them little recourse in responding to statements made about them. If there are substantiated claims of inappropriate conduct by isolated officers, there are processes in place to deal with them. I think these officers deserve a greater understanding of the difficult situation they were put in.