Border Patrol Agents Sold Challenge Coins With ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Characters in Riot Gear

US Border Patrol agents are raising money by selling coins that commemorate last year’s wave of immigration enforcement “operations” across the country, along with other merchandise. The funds are for nonprofit organizations that list Border Patrol buildings as their address in IRS paperwork. At least two of the organizations have dedicated US Customs and Border Protection email addresses.

The front side of one coin for sale reads, “NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025,” along with the acronyms for US Border Patrol and the acronym for “fuck around and find out”—a phrase that was initially popularized by the far-right group the Proud Boys and has been used by various Trump officials. In the center, the coin depicts a gas mask, a riot control smoke grenade, and a pepper ball launcher. On the other side, the coin appears to have a portrait of Border Patrol’s now retired commander-at-large, Gregory Bovino, with his arm raised in a salute, along with the text “COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU!” It lists seven cities, many of which actually saw federal enforcement surges in 2025: Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, Phoenix, Portland, Charlotte, and Atlanta.

The coin is for sale by Willcox Morale Welfare and Recreation, a nonprofit that the IRS most recently declared tax-exempt during the Biden administration and whose address on IRS paperwork matches that of the Willcox Border Patrol Station in Arizona. A request for comment sent to Willcox MWR’s dedicated CBP email address went unanswered.

Employees of the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency for Border Patrol, are allowed to start private, not-for-profit employee associations within DHS, so long as they get formally recognized by the agency and follow certain rules. According to DHS policies, officially recognized groups can fundraise using government property and create merchandise with the agency’s name and logos–but they have to receive advance approval from the agency.

Following the publication of this story, CBP spokesperson Hilton Beckham told WIRED that Willcox MWR and the other non-profits identified in our story had existed under previous administrations and had “received authorization to conduct limited commercial activities on CBP-occupied property.” Beckham said that the agency was in the process of updating its policies and procedures related to MWRs.

One listing, which was taken down at the time of writing, is a riff on the cover of the children’s book Charlotte’s Web, edited to depict the characters in police uniforms and to say “OPERATION CHARLOTTE’S WEB,” a reference to the DHS surge into North Carolina. “The item for sale on this website, identified by WIRED, constitutes an unauthorized use of the intellectual property associated with a beloved children’s book,” a representative of HarperCollins Publishers said in a statement. “We will promptly issue a cease-and-desist letter.”