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Return to Article: Drop in immigration arrests might nix need for more jail beds

• 19917
  

  Way to go, Ted. Just skip past all of the facts that were cited, ignore them, and come back with rhetoric. Do some reading, such as the three specific laws/standards I quoted before. Fortunately for us, OPM and Congress were a little more intelligent in their assessments and specifically excluded positions primarily entailing administrative illegal alien related work form being classified within the 1811 series. The INS was in violation of this. If you bother to read, you will also see that this work meets the criteria of approximately a GS-7 grade level, which the last time I checked is a bit less that a GS-13 level.

  It's unfortunate to have to repeat myself but you obviously decided not to let facts get in your way and to ignore all those facts which you wish weren't true. Smoking a joint is also against the law. Should we tie up our 1811's with petty drug offenses, then? How about having them respond to every single incident of someone failing to declare a bottle of wine they bring into the country? And while we're at it, let's just ignore what is written into U.S. Code and OPM standards for our convenience. It's a sad day when someone doesn't even have a basic understanding of the standards required to be an 1811 with a GS-13 journeyman level.

  Those who don't want to conduct criminal investigations can't be criminal investigators. They can get mall security jobs.

  GovExec.com reader Posted December 3, 2006 1:59 AM
• 19856
  

  Illegal immigration is against the law. Therefore it is a crime, and therefore it is criminal. If you don't want to enforce the minor laws, then quit and go be a "rent-a-cop."

  Ted Posted November 30, 2006 7:52 AM
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  Well said, legacy Customs! Unfortunately, all too many are quick to criticize us for allegedly badmouthing our new legacy INS colleagues, when we are actually criticizing the decisions and policies that brought us all to this sad situation. The real blame for the ongoing immigration disaster falls on the gutless politicians and big business interests, the former for selling out in exchange for large campaign contributions, and the latter for shamelessly exploiting illegal aliens while at the same time calling for even more illegal alien workers to enter the United States, and opposing the enforcement of laws already on the books (worksite enforcement, anyone?)!

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 14, 2006 4:16 PM
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  As a legacy Customs 1811, I take exception to the notion that the Customs attitude is that criminal alien arrests are beneath us. The operative word here is "criminal." The sad fact is that the overwhelming majority of immigration work/arrests pursued by OI 1811s are administrative in nature, not criminal. There are serious problems in tasking 1811s with this administrative work, especially in tasking agents in certain groups with more administrative than criminal work. Failure to heed this could mean that you will no longer be able to sign "Senior Special Agent." Don't take my word for it. Check this out:

  Title 5 - U.S. Code, section 8401 (17), which defines "law enforcement officers" as those whose primary duties entail criminal work.

  Title 5 - U.S. Code, section 8331 (20), which also defines "law enforcement officers" as above.

  The "Position Classification Standard for General Investigating/Criminal Investigating Series, GS-1810/GS-1811," by OPM defines 1811s as positions that entail criminal investigations. The classification guide also details specific positions to be excluded from the 1811 "Criminal Investigating Series" and specifically excludes positions involved in administrative alien-related work. It states, "[T]his work involves the application of basic investigative techniques to the solution of immediate problems in locating and identifying suspects."

  The OPM classification also defines requirements for meeting the criteria to ascend to the various grade levels (from a GS-5 up to the GS-13 level) for those within the 1811 series. We certainly won't even come close to meet the criteria to work at the GS-13 grade level (or equivalent under a new personnel system) if tasked with a large amount of administrative work.

  There is too much information in the laws and regulations above to completely detail here, so look them up. Also, it is of course a good idea to transfer these administrative duties to DRO as it allows OI to work more criminal cases as the lead investigative arm of DHS. It also makes sense by avoiding the fiscal waste with tying up trained GS-13 criminal investigators with this administrative work.

  Administrative alien work isn't beneath us. It just doesn't qualify us for 1811 status nor does it qualify us for anything close to a GS-13 grade. This was a major problem in INS and it needs to be dealt with.

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 11, 2006 9:15 PM
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  The reason that immigration violator arrests are down is because Julie Myers has let it be known that interior enforcement efforts involving criminal aliens will be taking a back burner in this agency. That's what you get when give an unqualified individual like Myers a recess appointment to run/control an agency like ICE.

  Myers is just following the marching orders of Bush who wants to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and continues to ignore the cry of Americans to put teeth in the enforcement of our Immigration laws.

  Conversely, most all of your SACS, ASCACS, DEP ASACS with ICE are exclusively Legacy Customs and they have let it be known that immigration-related crimes and criminal aliens are beneath them and would much rather have this function passed over to Detention & Removal, which, for a variety of reasons is incapable or not ready to take over the criminal alien program in most districts. This country is in a real mess and anyone who lobbies in DHS for fewer bed spaces for criminal aliens is a fool and a buffoon.

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 1, 2006 1:36 PM
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  Wait a minute! On the one hand, there are an estimated 12 million illegal aliens already in the United States. On the other hand, DHS says that apprehensions by the Border Patrol dropped by a hundred thousand or so last year. Even given the fact that most aliens caught crossing the border opt for voluntary departure back to their home countries, it seems to me that we not only need the beds we already have, but we still need to increase capacity as well. After all, there are still over 12 million criminal aliens out there to apprehend. No wonder everyone questioned Julie Myers' qualifications to be assistant secretary of ICE, when she makes ridiculous statements like this!

  GovExec.com reader Posted October 31, 2006 11:20 AM