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Return to Article: Former homeland security officials debate reorganizing DHS

• 9744
  

  I'll tell you what the vested interest is from Ridge, Loy, and Hutchinson in seeking to prevent the merger of ICE into CBP. Reputation. How would these three look if immediately following their departure, a change such as this is undertaken when they themselves didn't take care of it while they were at DHS? It will expose them for their incompetence to the public in not attending to such critical matters while they served in the department. It will send the message that, "now that these three idiots have left, we can finally do the RIGHT thing that they didn't do". It would look especially bad for Hutchinson, as the BTS that he was formerly in charge of would be eliminated immediately after his departure. This wouldn't bode well for his run for governor of Arkansas. So that is why these idiots are against the merger. They are trying to protect their reputations by making it appear as if they did everything they should have while they were here, and that they did nothing they shouldn't have done.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 16, 2005 12:16 AM
• 9735
  

  Loy's "Let them struggle a bit" comment is egregious. Doesn't he realize that we are fighting a global war on terrorism? If this is a serious war -- and people are seriously dying, so i'm assuming it's serious -- is this really the time to play management games?

  Why doesn't any publication ever scrutinize what Loy actually did at the Coast Guard, TSA, and DHS? Let's check the record: Coast Guard: Deepwater. Need I say more?
  TSA: Watered down security to keep airlines happy.
  DHS: Ran interference to keep White House happy.
  

  Loy gets more positive PR than anyone associated with government I've ever seen. Can someone explain why? Who died and made this guy king?

  Not a Fan Posted May 14, 2005 5:14 AM
• 9729
  

  "Even if it does happen, merging ICE and CBP will not make you U.S. Customs again. Things are different now. You need to either start to deal with this reality or you should retire."

  I disagree. I believe that in addition to pushing for the merger, we need to push for the separation of Customs and Immigration into two separate agencies, or at least two separate divisions. These two areas never belonged together any more than the IRS belongs with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 13, 2005 10:59 PM
• 9724
  

  According to Michelle Malkin the merger is not going to happen. To me the merger only makes sense. Every legacy Customs and legacy INS employee I have spoken to feel it is a good idea. So why is it not going to happen? I'm willing to give this agency my best effort, but I would like to be met half way. I can understand that things won't be perfect right away with such a large undertaking. However, if steps can be taken to move ICE in the right direction, lets do it. In my opinion here are some steps that would solve a lot of the issues.

  1. Fix the budget!!!!
  2. Merge CBP & ICE.
  3. Move FPS, TSA, and the FAMS back where they belong.
  4. Stand up to the FBI and DEA, do not give everthing away.
  5. Fix the budget!!!!!
  6. Get the DRO IEA's trained to take over the administrative Title 8 cases.
  7. Fix the budget!!!!!

  In spite of many wishes (mine included) to seperate everyone back to their respective legacy agencies, I think we are too far along for that to happen. However, ICE started out with all the potential to be a very powerful and effective agency. Lets stop trashing each other and get the job done. Unfortunatly, the field agent cannot get it done alone. The leadership also needs to step it up.

  The safety of our families depends on us.

  Oh yeah, did I mention fix the budget?

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 13, 2005 9:12 PM
• 9721
  

  I don't know why anyone should pay any attention to these clowns at all, because they have absolutely no credibility. They mismanaged DHS from its inception, and bailed out after less than 2 years for lucrative private sector jobs, leaving behind a floundering department composed of diverse agencies with little or nothing in common. The most egregious example of this merger mania is ICE. A proud and effective agency dating back to the founding of this country, the U.S. Customs Service, was dismantled, and it's personnel were artifically separated into CBP and ICE along with former INS personnel and others. This alphabet soup of agencies is still struggling with a lack of mission, poor administrative systems, enormous budget problems, a hiring freeze, serious morale problems, and a general lack of cohesion and identity despite the expenditure of billions of taxpayer dollars. Yet these jokers have the nerve to say CBP and ICE shouldn't be merged, and no reorganization should be considered for years? Who is their new employer, Bin Laden? They are failed former leaders of a failed department, and nothing that they say should even be taken seriously!

  (P.S., if anyone wonders why I still call myself a legacy CUSTOMS agent, it's because of pride in that agency and its accomplishments. After being drafted into ICE and DHS more than 2 years ago, I am still carrying my CUSTOMS badge and credentials. Just one more example of the incompetence of these, thankfully, ex-leaders of DHS!)

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 13, 2005 12:48 PM
• 9710
  

  Never fails - screw up big and then cover up with a reorganization...

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 13, 2005 5:39 AM
• 9709
  

  Even if it does happen, merging ICE and CBP will not make you U.S. Customs again. Things are different now. You need to either start to deal with this reality or you should retire.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 12, 2005 11:22 PM
• 9703
  

  Ok: The former 3 top honchos at DHS are now pretty much recommending the same changes (like a central policy office) that everyone else has been recommending for the past 3 years.

  Why didn't they make these changes while they were at DHS? How is this different from paying prison guards top dollar to talk about how you shouldn't let prisoners escape, right after a huge jailbreak ON THEIR WATCH?

  I don't get it. Another thing I don't get: Loy's master-of-the-obvious comment that the government would have reacted differently had Sept. 11 involved a subway attack. Um, ya think? What a clown. Loy was an administration yes-man who should be put out to pasture at the Coast Guard Academy.

  Fed Up Posted May 12, 2005 3:29 PM
• 9693
  

  RIDGE, LOY & ASA... they just can't stop kicking us when we're down!!! What does LOY mean, "...let us struggle a bit..."?!?!?!? How much more unnecessary pain needs to be thrust upon us?? There was never any reason we had to struggle in the 1st place!!!!! Had we never been torn apart, we would not have these financial, morale, jurisdictional etc... "struggles" in the 1st place!!! I bet it was nice for them to jump ship and grab a cushy private sector job. Yet, where the ones left picking up the pieces! MERGE US BACK!!!!!

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 12, 2005 12:57 AM
• 9691
  

  Just goes to show you how little these two knuckleheads understand about the complexity of our capabilities. Thank god they can only run their mouths and really can't screw things up anymore.

  "Let them struggle a bit." Yeah, why don't we just struggle instead of prevent the next attack you IDIOT! I guess that's what you get from a Coast Guard mindset! Put a U.S. Customs person in charge of one singular agency ICE/CBP and America WILL BE SAFER.

  Don't listen to overpaid has-been failures for advice on the future or the past will repeat itself.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 11, 2005 8:16 PM
• 9689
  

  Dear former executives of DHS:

  Do us a favor, please...

  KEEP QUIET!!! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE ALREADY.

  Now, enjoy your greatly increased salaries in the private sector, and have a nice day.

  What a pathetic and shameful mess.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 11, 2005 6:12 PM
• 9688
  

  Ridge, Loy, and Hutchinson are a pathetic bunch of clowns. The reason why DHS is a mess is because of their incompetence. They are now all in the private sector in companies that have or may soon have multi-million dollar DHS contracts. They want DHS to remain the same because their friends are all in key positions that would facilitate the granting of those contracts. Any change in the DHS structure, such as an efficient or economical re-alignment of Detention and Removal(DRO)could mean savings for the tax payers but a loss for the contractors. DRO spends millions on contractors that house and feed illegal aliens. The media needs to closely monitor these three and Assistant Secretary of ICE Michael Garcia to insure a fair and ethical contract bidding process. DHS has become a cash cow. Three years from now the senate hearings will be on wasted and un-accounted for DHS funds. Just look at the ICE budget and look no further. Ask yourselves why Ridge, Loy and Hutchinson are so bent on making sure the ICE, CBP merger does not happen. What is their vested interest? They are not DHS employees and did nothing to help this agency when they were.

  another 3 stooges re-run Posted May 11, 2005 6:01 PM
• 9687
  

  It is all well and good for these former officials to caution against reorganizing, but their comments should be viewed with a great deal of skepicism. Fist, Congress did create the department, but the major re-organization (ICE, CBP, etc.) was created by the White House. Not fair to blame that on Congress. The reorgnaization was ill conceived, ill planned and ill implemented.

  Hutchinson's comments about a reorganization taking 5 years to work is an interesting one. Why would the Congress, by virtue of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and the White House, by virtue of its it resuffling of agencies, literally "break" the government in the midst of the War on Terror?

  I don't think giving something that is clearly broken five more years to right itself as being a good idea. Fix it while it is still broken... DHS has not funcitoned properly for over two years, it is not like we are loosing ground...

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 11, 2005 5:44 PM