By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is facing serious accusations of misconduct in connection with the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, a Mexican migrant who died after being beaten and tasered by border agents in San Diego, California.

In a letter obtained by Britain’s The Guardian, James Wong, former CBP deputy assistant commissioner, urged the Senate Finance Committee to reject the nomination of Rodney Scott, claiming he "supervised" a cover-up while overseeing the agency’s internal response to the death.

"This was not an investigation, it was a cover-up – one Mr. Scott supervised. This abuse of power disqualifies him from leading one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country," Wong wrote to Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee’s ranking member.

At the time of Hernandez Rojas’s death, Scott was a senior Border Patrol official in San Diego and allegedly oversaw a now-disbanded CBP Critical Incident Team (CIT).

According to Wong, the team "used a CBP administrative subpoena" to unlawfully obtain medical records, likely "to spin information for their own PR."

The CBP disbanded the teams in 2022 following revelations that they operated with little oversight and were designed to shield senior leadership from accountability in use-of-force incidents.

Wyden has called the allegations "deeply troubling" and has requested records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the case.

"In the hands of someone who has allegedly repeatedly abused his position of power, the vast security apparatus for which CBP is responsible could be wielded for harm," Wyden warned in a letter to Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary.

Scott, who has not responded to media inquiries, is a known supporter of Trump’s hardline immigration policies and previously clashed with the Biden administration, which removed him from his post in 2021.

He has also faced criticism for taking part in a private Facebook group that mocked migrants and posted racist content, as detailed in a 2021 House of Representatives oversight report.

Despite the mounting controversy, Scott retains strong backing from Republican lawmakers. Sen. John Cornyn praised him as "a fantastic pick."

The Senate Finance Committee is set to hold Scott’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday.