Trump's pick for CBP chief grilled over 'suspicious' death of Mexican man in 2019

Wyden called the allegations "deeply troubling" and pressed Homeland Security for records.

PUBLISHED APR 30, 2025

President Donald Trump meets US Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott on June 23, 2020, along the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma, Ariz. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Washington D.C.: Rodney Scott, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is facing allegations that he helped cover up the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernández Rojas, a Mexican man who died after being beaten and tased by border agents.

According to a report in The Guardian, James Wong, a former CBP internal affairs official, accused Scott — then a top Border Patrol supervisor in San Diego — of overseeing a "cover-up" rather than a legitimate investigation. Wong claims Scott’s team unlawfully obtained Hernández Rojas’ medical records to shape a favorable narrative, calling it a "blatantly unlawful" abuse of power.

The Senate Finance Committee is weighing Scott’s nomination, but Democrats, including ranking member Ron Wyden, are demanding answers. Wyden called the allegations "deeply troubling" and pressed Homeland Security for records, warning that Scott’s alleged misconduct should disqualify him from leading the massive agency.

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Scott, a longtime Border Patrol chief, is a staunch Trump ally who backed the border wall and clashed with Biden’s policies. He was ousted in 2021 after resisting Biden’s ban on terms like "illegal alien". A House report also tied him to "I’m 10-15", a controversial Border Patrol Facebook group where agents shared racist and violent content, including images of drowned migrants labeled "floaters".

Despite controversy, Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) praise Scott as a "fantastic pick".

DHS secretary Kristi Noem defended Scott: “The minority’s uninformed account of Mr Scott’s alleged role in the 2010 investigation of the death of Mr Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was infuriating and offensive to read,” Noem said.