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Return to Article: Border security initiative means more work for DHS

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  Gentlemen:

  I am an Immigration Enforcement Agent, and as such, have dealt with legacy customs agents and deportation officers in different situations. Legacy customs agents must not belittle themselves while performing immigration-related work.

  I am not here to criticize anybody, but customs agents have no right to criticize or demean deportation officers, especially when a simple form cannot be completed accurately. That tells a lot about their quality of work.

  Deportation officers' work involves a lot more than just deporting aliens. I challenge any customs agent to ride along with a deportation officer, to see how long he/she will last. Not long!!!!!

  Be it customs enforcement or immigration enforcement, both enforce the law in their unique ways. One does not involve less enforcement than the other. Customs is a criminal process and immigration is administrative, and both are in the business of "enforcing" the law. That one could me more dangerous than the other -- that's really debatable.

  In summary, I personally, even though I am more than qualified, don't want to become a customs special agent, (there is nothing special about being one). My goal is to become a deportation officer, where I can use my talent and skills, and execute a warrantless arrest! And I know about a lot of immigration personnel who prefer to stay in immigration, rather than to jump ship into ICE OI.

  GovExec.com reader Posted September 8, 2006 10:59 PM
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  From the correspondence here, it looks like we aren't getting our money's worth out of DHS. Time to look at the wheel again.

  Phil Posted June 30, 2006 4:09 AM
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  If I am "outgunned," it is in an ability to throw insults, not in a battle of wits. Contrary to garbage that has been thrown around by some about the job of a Customs 1811, the vast majority of Customs cases were self-generated. Although it's a shock, we don't have inspectors with us when we conduct a Title III, put a tracker on a car, conduct surveillance, do money pick-ups, or serve warrants. In the OIG's report recommending the merger of ICE and CBP, taking statistics from the last several years, it was determined that less than 30 percent of cases worked by Customs 1811's were originated from seizures made by inspectors. I guess that leaves more than 70 percent of cases that were generated elsewhere. The upgrade from the GS-12 to GS-13 journeyman level was based on an OPM assessment that the level of cases worked Customs-wide warranted this grade increase. This is indeed relevant, and it has nothing to do with how much money we make after LEAP or overtime.

  We have heard a ton of rambling from many legacy Customs employees since the creation of ICE, many times inappropriate. I disagree with those who take it to a personal level and dole out insults, but I disagree just as much with those non-Customs employees who expect us to shut up and accept any load of crap that gets piled on our plate. I also have to disagree with the notion that any attack on ICE by a legacy Customs employee is a direct attack on legacy INS employees. The truth is that most who did not work for Customs have no frame of reference with which to understand our point of view. That's fine, but don't question our attitude when you didn't experience the same transition. People like me are looking for a positive change. We're not taking pleasure in ruin and the disappointment of others (as per your last post).

  Many assume that any legacy Customs employee who has a problem with the ICE transition has also abstained from doing his or her job. Under what rule is it assumed that it is impossible for someone to be a productive employee while also having issues with an agency situation? For an unexplained reason, some believe that these two conditions simply cannot co-exist. I must have missed the memo on that one, as I actually worked my most trying case and experienced some of my most active months (case hour-wise) After the ICE transition.

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 24, 2006 2:42 PM
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  Dear nameless tantrum thrower. I, unlike most 1811s don't have the time during my regular duty hours (or LEAP / AUO) to answer to your posting as I don't want to burden the U.S. taxpayer with this meaningless exchange. For the longest time I've been reading adversarial postings made by Legacy Customs SAs and have been personally exposed to your unwelcome whining and direct degradation of anything INS. Most of my Legacy INS colleagues simply decided to ignore you and your brethren as we find your constant complaining without merit and we're pretty much overwhelmed with our cases/docket.

  You must be a recent graduate of FLETC CIATP and thus you're a Legacy ICE (if such an animal actually exists). Don't you know that any LEO who has successfully completed the flying armed course with TSA can fly armed? DOs like me fly armed all the time and even fly overseas on escorts. Yes, you're a GS-13, but last time I checked, it is an automatic progression and not a promotion. A GS-12 U.S. marshal performs at a level higher than you, even a GS-11 Border Patrol agent carries more law enforcement duties and thus your grade is irrelevant. I could argue and say that a DO GS-12 regardless of step makes more money than you because of FLSA since you only get paid straight time under LEAP and can be worked a lot more hours for less pay.

  Most of my duties are administrative arrests but I produce and find my own cases and don't rely on a CBP officer to call me at midnight and turn a case over to me because I can't develop my own cases. For more glorious stories of 1811s follow this link

  http://www.fedsmith.com/articles/articles.showarticle.db.php?intArticleID=943

  An incompetent person if selected as an 1811 doesn't automatically become competent or turn out to be a good investigator. Your posting is a prime example of someone who lacks the required knowledge and writing skills needed to be able to engage another in a battle of the wits, in which, it is evident you find yourself pretty much outgunned.

  Ultimately, no amount of whining will turn back the clock. These are your new working conditions like it or not. Start using the authorities management lets you enforce since it is irrelevant to mention authorities you don't know how to carry or are not allowed to enforce.

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 19, 2006 11:44 AM
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  That deportation officer, who is probably one of the many people who was rejected for an 1811 position, shouldn't even be employed with the government. The fact that someone takes satisfaction in a miserable government failure and at the misery of someone else is unconscionable. But it is also the attitude of someone who has been met with rejection in his own life, hence the probability that he didn't make the cut. I would wish you the worst for your career, but you surely don't need it.

  And by the way, we ICE agents still have all the same statutory/legal authorities we had prior to being in ICE (which you still don't), we still ascend to the GS-13 journeyman level (which you never will), and we still have a badge that says "Special Agent" (which you also never will). I can fly to Hawaii for a personal vacation and carry my gun with me on the plane. You can buy all the tactical equipment and raid gear in the world for your many uneventful administrative arrests, but it still doesn't change the fact that 95 percent of people would chose my job over yours. Remember that the next time you try to pawn yourself off as a "federal agent" to someone in the general public who you hope doesn't know the difference between your job and that of an 1811. I look forward to hearing your response.

  (Note: I apologize if I offend other, decent and upstanding deportation officers, but this guy doesn't deserve to clean your floors.)

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 1, 2006 6:31 PM
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  Dear Deportation Officer:

  At least you signed up for the job you have, and weren't forced into it. Are we supposed to be jumping for joy to be reassigned against our will to a job we wanted nothing to do with (if we had, we would have signed up for it when we began our federal careers, like you did)? We had pride in our agency, unlike you and most of your colleagues, including the thousands who bailed out of INS over the years. Many of them voted with their feet and came to Customs, where we welcomed their experience and work ethic. Just because we were happy and did our former jobs well is nothing for us to be ashamed of. You, however, should be ashamed for gloating at the misfortune of others. We had no say in this depressing career change. While you chose to work in this field, we didn't! I guess the saying that "misery loves company" must be true, as you are apparently one miserable person!

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 31, 2006 2:04 PM
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  Dear disgusted ICE. There were two moments in this Customs hostile takeover that I will cherish for life. The first one took place during my tenure with CBP when arrogant Customs inspectors were put on the immigration primary line to do immigration work. After three years with CBP their arrogance is wearing thin. The second time just came recently when Legacy INS Special Agents were instructing their Legacy Customs counterparts on how to process "administrative" (not criminal) immigration cases. The sadness and look of resignation reflected on their faces was priceless. I only wish I had a camera to capture those two magical moments. Don't worry about saving the United States from all those criminals you were allegedly pursuing and keeping in check. Between the IRS, Treasury, DEA, CBP (and whatever other agencies you want to add) your former investigations are still being pursued. Your special powers are no longer needed and we defenseless humans no longer need your service. You may now concentrate on doing five cases a day instead of one petty criminal investigation in one year.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 23, 2006 8:41 PM
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  Customs investigations will be totally ignored, to the great delight of money launderers, drug smugglers, arms traffickers, and countless other criminals whose crimes will no longer be investigated, as legacy Customs agents now in ICE will be used to enforce our nation's confusing, constantly changing and generally useless immigration laws.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 20, 2006 2:04 AM
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  The President's comments regarding the utilization of National Guard troops on the border do not, in themselves, come as a surprise. Yet the time it has taken to finally come around to that decision does. That concept has been batted around for many years but the consensus then, as it is now, is the liberals and some facets of the public don't want to give the impression that the United States has become a "militaristic state." Wake up and smell the gunpowder! Look at many of the countries around the world and see who protects their borders ... the military. True, there was a time when the Border Patrol could handle the task but, with all this mamby-pamby crap regarding "hold-the-line," "high-profile," sitting on X's, and the continued bastardization of the laws through giveaway programs and 20 chances to get in if you strike out on the first 19, there is no enforcement. Mexico whines about our troops being on the border; who do you think guards theirs? What about all the incursions made by their troops into U.S. territory?

  Furthermore, when will we get serious about interior enforcement? All this money getting pumped into hiring more Border Patrol agents and high-tech equipment but nothing for additional Special Agents and equipment for interior operations. It's high time to clean up the illegal immigrants who are already running around and needed to go a long time ago. Besides, have any of the rocket scientists in the Beltway taken a look at the history of hiring in the Border Patrol to see the rate of attrition due to failing the academy, transferring to another agency, or retirement? Those were a few of the reasons why they have never met their hiring quotas.

  I can make the foregoing comments confidently and without reservation; I spent the majority of my career in the Border Patrol, on the Southwest border, some of them at the academy as an instructor (so I know about the hiring/staffing problems) and transferred to Investigations under legacy INS, now ICE. It's time to lock and load, and make a stand.

  The Gunny

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 17, 2006 9:27 AM
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  "Window Dressing." Remember that retail clothing term? Well, it sure seems appropriate here. Send some National Guardspersons to the Southern Border (oops, Bush forgot Canada) and crank up the dog and pony show, just to placate the real Republicans. Heck, we've got about 11 million illegal infiltrators here already, why do we need more gardeners? In my opinion, the only way to successfully stop this illegal infiltration is to make all illegals and their helpers felons. That might slow things up. Then, really crack down on the companies exploiting these Third World people, seize their assets using the RICO statutes. Voila, no jobs, no illegals! Then the remaining companies would be forced to hire Americans for decent wages, health benefits, etc. The needs of America must always come before the needs of other countries. As someone once said: "Nations don't have friends, merely interests."

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 17, 2006 6:53 AM