U.S. Border Patrol agent faces charges of distributing child pornography

A U.S. District Court in Syracuse, N.Y., on Monday charged a U.S. Border Patrol agent with distributing child pornography over the internet, according to Syracuse.com.

The news outlet reported that Keith Hook, a resident of Oswego, N.Y., is facing the charges. 

{mosads}According to the felony complaint filed in the case, Hook allegedly used a messaging app known as Kik Messenger to distribute child pornography from April 30 to May 4. 

United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Baxter ordered Hook to be detained pending a hearing that is expected to take place on July 6.

Hook is facing up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. In addition, Hook will be required to register as a sex offender if convicted. 

Hook’s charges come as more Democratic and Republican lawmakers scrutinize the jobs of agents in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Several Democratic lawmakers have recently called to abolish ICE. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said last week that the organization should be eliminated because it is not working “as intended.”