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Return to Article: House panel approves DHS management changes

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  "If CBP ever gets the authority to hire 1811's to conduct 'Customs' related investigations, there will be a flood of applications from former Customs agents who were forced into ICE, including mine!"

  I've gotta agree with that. But now that ICE is in shambles just like the INS was, there would also be a flood of applications from former INS agents to go to CBP. This would be just like what happened with all of those agents from the INS who left (or were in the process of trying) to go to Customs.

  Indeed, if CBP ever did hire 1811's, they would simply be the new Customs, and it would prove ICE's existence as the new INS. And all of the crap associated with the INS (highest attrition rate of all federal investigators, bureaucratic nightmares, etc.) would simply now be associated with ICE.

  Unfortunately, if CBP ever were to get their own 1811's, they certainly wouldn't be able to accommodate all 5,000 ICE agents. The rest who get left behind would have a completely ruined career to look forward to.

  Ahh, who cares? No one outside of ICE employees themselves, and certainly no one in Congress, gives the first crap about this disaster anyway. I now hold all of our elected officials in just as much contempt as I hold DHS and ICE management. What they have done in the way of ignoring the repeated and continuous concerns and suggestions from all of us who have contacted them over and over again is absolutely reprehensible.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 27, 2006 6:04 PM
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  If CBP ever gets the authority to hire 1811's to conduct "Customs" related investigations, there will be a flood of applications from former Customs agents who were forced into ICE, including mine!

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 24, 2006 10:27 AM
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  A CBP and ICE merger is a must. At this point we can't even communicate between the two agencies. We operate on different systems for travel, pay, e-mail and communications. We at CBP have even been told "we no longer support ICE." There is more than just merging the two though. Look at CBP and USBP -- we are merged and still have numerous problems as well. We still operate on our own networks and have not merged all communications which was an issue during 9/11 and Katrina. Stop the politics and start fixing these major problems.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 22, 2006 1:21 PM
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  Here is my prediction regarding the whole ICE versus CPP mess:

  I am and will continue to take on the mantle of the former INS investigations program -- over tasked and underfunded. It will move further and further into interior enforcement (and away from customs law enforcement), a job that everyone wants to complain about, but no one really wants solved. ICE will have enough agents to look like it can do the job, but they will lack the program funding to do it -- a perfect situation for setting up a scapegoat on the whole immigration issue.

  As a result, within about five years, CBP will argue that it needs its own 1811 to do the fraud and smuggling work that ICE is not focusing on. Therefore, we will end up pretty much back where we started -- with a broken immigration program. Sadly, the customs program (read homeland security) will have suffered badly.

  Good for you President Bush and Congress -- you did what Al Qaeda was unable to do on its own -- reduce the actual security of the United States.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 18, 2006 3:20 PM
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  What the public needs to understand is that ICE was created to sucker the idiots into thinking that a law enforcement agency exists to stop the illegal aliens from taking away their precious minimum wage jobs. ICE is nothing but a broken down car with no transmission and less that an eighth of a tank of gas. It does however start up and has a nice paint job. Chertoff should be selling used cars in trailer parks -- he would make a lot more money. What Congress sees is only the tip of the ICE-burg. What lies beneath is thousands of employees collecting workfare because they don't have money to do investigations. Congress should really take a hard look at this fraud before they all get voted out of office. Federal employees do vote.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 17, 2006 9:59 AM
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  " . . . claiming that whistleblowers are treated like celebrities and get book deals." Guess this is another one who does not live in a reality-based world.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 17, 2006 9:30 AM
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  Quote: "The amendment was ultimately withdrawn, however, after subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., agreed to hold a hearing on the subject with the heads of ICE and CBP, employees at the two agencies and the department's inspector general. Meek said he is willing to give the department "one last chance."

  Yet another ignored opportunity.

  Frank Dracman Posted March 16, 2006 6:33 PM
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  "Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., led opposition to the amendment that would have strengthened protections for those who report wrongdoing, claiming that whistleblowers are treated like celebrities and get book deals."

  Sometimes our congressmen say things that are so stupid you can't believe it.

  GovExec.com reader Posted March 16, 2006 5:20 PM