Spokane ICE agent scrutinized over racist and transphobic social media posts in federal trial

May 22-A Spokane U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who pushed and shoved people during a protest last June was called to the witness stand for a second time Friday, this time to explain social media posts calling Black people "ghetto garbage" and transgender people "mentally ill."

Jeremy Burlingame, who has been a government agent for 19 years, made many posts including offensive language last year on his former X account, which he deleted this week following a report from Range Media linking the account to him. He deleted the account when officers notified him of the outlet's story, he said on the stand.

Burlingame did not notify the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington about the material before he was called to testify earlier this week, he told the court, saying he had "forgotten" about the account.

Burlingame is a witness in the federal trial of Bajun Mavalwalla II, Justice Forral and Jac Archer. The three are accused by the government of conspiring to impede or injure ICE agents during the mass protest in June.

The protest took shape after former City Council President Ben Stuckart posted a plea for people to come sit in front of a transport van with him to prevent two legal, asylum-seeking immigrants from being taken to a Tacoma detention center.

Prosecutors brought Burlingame back to the stand after he testified earlier this week to address the posts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Cartier-Giroux called the posts by her own witness "horrendous" outside the presence of the jury and before Burlingame was back on the stand.

When the jury was back, she pressed Burlingame on the comments, reciting them word for word.

One post calls U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a man. McBride is a transgender woman.

Burlingame commented, "A mentally ill man at that."

The ICE agent also responded to a post from former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg last year.

"We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew air traffic control, had zero commercial airline crashes," Buttigieg wrote.

Burlingame wrote on X: "You can just go away and breastfeed your baby you mentally ill soy boy."

Burlingame is also shown responding to a post from a woman about going on a hunger strike. He replied: "She could miss a few meals."

One account posted what appears to be a Black woman dancing. The post says something akin to the woman "celebrating her abortion" outside Planned Parenthood.

Burlingame responded, "Black culture is in need of some help."

He also responded to two posts about Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic U.S. House representative for Texas, who is a Black woman. He called her "ghetto garbage," "racist" and a "complete idiot."

Among the posts, he said New Jersey U.S. Senator Corey Booker was "wasting a lot of oxygen," and repeatedly referred to Black people in other posts as "thugs" or participating in "jungle behavior" and "thug culture" and accusing transgender people of "playing dress-up."

Burlingame, while an ICE officer, was also posting about ICE. He responded to a post about Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the United States who was arrested by federal agents last year, saying: "Deport his ASS!"

Burlingame responded to another post last year about ICE deporting people with the comment "that is how we roll."

Cartier-Giroux pressed Burlingame on the posts.

"And you, who work in the area of immigration, you take the time to write on this person's post, 'This is how we roll?' "

Burlingame said he did.

He confirmed all were his words, but that it "wasn't his true opinion," that the comments came from "a hard time" in his life and he is deeply embarrassed and regretful. Burlingame said the comments don't reflect his agency or himself.

That comment was met with scoffing from the court's gallery.

"Nobody is forcing you to write this stuff, right?" Cartier-Giroux asked.

He answered no.

Cartier-Giroux asked if Burlingame was aware her office had notified his agency about the posts. He said he was. She also asked him if he was aware they are initiating disciplinary action regarding the posts. He said he knew that.

Archer's attorney Carl Oreskovich pointed out to Burlingame that his client is a Black person and uses they/them pronouns.

"You knew before you came in here that my client used different pronouns and that my client is an African American? That you posted calling Black people ghetto garbage?" Oreskovich asked.

Burlingame said he knew about Archer's pronouns, as he was briefed on using the correct pronouns on the stand, but did not know Archer is Black.

He claimed the comments were not his "true opinion." That was also met with scoffs from the audience.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 7:12 PM.