16 Sept 11th-Sept 17th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | In 2019, ProPublica revealed a secret Border Patrol Facebook group, in which 9,500 current and former Border Patrol employees posted racist, sexist and other- wise repugnant jokes and memes, targeting dead migrants and members of Congress. One meme showed progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being forced to perform oral sex on Trump. The Border Patrol union issued a statement condemning those posting “inappropriate and unacceptable” mate- rial online. But in another release days later, the union shamelessly played the victim, asserting that Border Patrol members were being unfairly maligned by “radical members of Congress, immigrant rights groups, the fake news media and the general public.” By the time Trump left the White House, Judd’s anti-immigrant zeal was a feature of his image. He began tossing the union’s endorsements at kooky far-right losers like Arizona politicians Jim Lamon and Blake Masters, echoing the same racist conspiracy theories about an “invasion” of the United States from the south, part of a supposed “great replacement” of white Americans by immigrants that’s been pimped by right-wing figures. Judd even participated in a notoriously stupid Lamon campaign commercial, wherein both he and Lamon cosplayed cowboys in a Tombstone-style gunfight with Democrats. Judd told Fox News that he believed Democrats were trying to “change the demographics of the electorate” to remain in power — an amusing accusation, given Trump’s current desire to gerrymander the country to ensure ongoing Republican rule. In a January 2024 appearance on the podcast of Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Judd simultaneously claimed ignorance of the “great replacement theory” while asserting that Democrats wanted to use illegal immigration to turn red states blue. “I said it’s all about the demographics of the electorate, and the moment I said that, oh my gosh, I am a white nation- alist,” Judd said, with false incredulity. “I am a racist because I’m spouting conspiracy theories.” With Trump back in power, Judd’s views have found purchase beyond the realms of right-wing media. Judd figures to reap the rewards. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management did not respond to New Times’ request for a pay range for a first- time, politically appointed ambassador to Chile. But career ambassadors have a base salary of around $175,000 to $200,000, according to Lisa Heller of the American Foreign Service Association, which repre- sents roughly 16,800 current and former foreign service personnel. On top of that, Judd will receive other federal benefits, such as transportation costs and housing. Judd may have been earning about that much in the Border Patrol. During Judd’s last full year as president, his compensa- tion topped $130,000, according to annual reports on file with the Department of Labor. That would, presumably, be in addition to his salary as a Border Patrol agent, which a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency was prohibited from releasing. There are quicker ways to get rich. “These are not highly paid jobs,” Heller wrote in an email. “The private sector offers much more financially.” But an ambassadorship can also open a lot of doors. Chile is a major exporter of copper and lithium, and one former ambassador to the country currently sits on the board of the Albemarle Corporation, a multina- tional lithium concern. As Richard Sanders, a former Foreign Service official and a senior fellow with the Center for the National Interest, told New Times: “The phenomenon of former ambassa- dors acting as lobbyists in countries is by no means uncommon.” Still, Judd’s upcoming ambassador- ship seems a poor payoff for permanently affixing his snout to Trump’s Mephistophelian backside, turning his union into a tool of his ambition and pushing a narrative that demonizes migrants. (Especially so considering a similar transformation made by border czar Tom Homan, who has been rewarded with a prominent White House role.) And given the interwoven influ- ences of Trump and the LDS church on Judd, it raises the question of which higher authority Judd cares more about heeding. The LDS church’s views on immigra- tion certainly don’t seem to match Judd’s. In 2011, as debate raged over Arizona’s SB 1070, the LDS church issued a statement declaring its support for “an approach where undocumented immigrants are allowed to square themselves with the law and continue to work without this neces- sarily leading to citizenship.” It added that “mass expulsions or mistreatment of individuals or families is cause for concern especially where race, culture or religion are involved.” Instead, Judd has gleefully supported a man who has called for mass deportations and whose regime is ripping otherwise law-abiding immigrants from their fami- lies — even those following the proper processes to obtain legal residency. In exchange, Judd has landed a cushy ambassadorship, passing Trump’s loyalty test but seemingly flunking a more impor- tant one. “The bedrock moral issue for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” the 2011 LDS statement continued, “is how we treat each other as children of God.” This story is part of the Arizona Watchdog Project, a yearlong reporting effort led by New Times and supported by the Trace Foundation, in partnership with Deep South Today. The Kiss-assador from p 15
