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Return to Article: DHS could be overestimating costs of new border agents

• 81026
  

  I wonder about former CBPO. He/she obviously did not know the job. If all he was doing was stamping passports, he did not know his job, he was not checking the data base to check whether those arriving were entitled to admission, had an outstanding warrant, etc. That is probably why he is a former CBPO. That was the problem with the old INS. In regard to enforcement, Customs was always an enforcement agency. At times there was more emphasis on commercial aspects, but when Myles Ambrose was appointed Commissioner, it was clear that the agency's primary focus was once again enforcement. Von Raab was an enforcement person and he tended to shoot from the hip, but Ambrose was the one who refocused the agency on enforcement.

  Former USCS Posted June 23, 2009 12:03 PM
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  "fmr cbpo":

  Maybe you need to go back and study history yourself. How can you say that Customs was not a law enforcement agency? It was in fact America's first law enforcement agency, and enforced our nation's laws at the border for 214 years, from it's creation in 1789 to 2003, when it was absorbed into CBP and ICE under Homeland Security. If you remember anything from your training, you should know that Customs enforced over 200 laws for more than 40 other agencies at the border, in addition to it's own border enforcement responsibilities. Customs officers carried firearms, made arrests and seizures, and their search authority exceeded that of any other American law enforcement officers, because they didn't need probable cause to conduct border searches. CBP officers and ICE agents have that same authority today. You also insult the memories of the numerous Customs inspectors, patrol officers and special agents who have died in the line of duty performing law enforcement work throughout Custom's proud history.

  I wonder how long you worked as a "fmr cbpo", because you said that "agents staff the passport control lanes at the airports". You're 100% wrong on that! Any real Customs officer (or CBPO) would have known the difference between the jobs performed by Customs inspectors and agents. Your remarks make me think that you are a "fmr cbpo" for a reason, which is also why you seem to hold a grudge against Customs.

  Proud Former Customs Inspector & Agent Posted June 18, 2009 12:44 PM
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  Current CBPO, I never mentioned the constitutionality of drug testing, you did; or is this because you do not know anything about uscs history and trying to bad mouth me. What I did mention, is that Von Raab was the first commissioner who exaggerated the function of US Customs Service, first by calling it a law enforcement agency which it wasn't, and still isn't, then defacing passports of people suspected of drug smuggling, while all the nitwit good old boys applauded. Read up on history to understand the present.

  fmr cbpo Posted June 17, 2009 4:18 PM
• 80535
  

  Current CBPO, I never mentioned the constitutionality of drug testing, you did; or is this because you do not know anything about uscs history and trying to bad mouth me. What I did mention, is that Von Raab was the first commissioner who exaggerated the function of US Customs Service, first by calling it a law enforcement agency which it wasn't, and still isn't, then defacing passports of people suspected of drug smuggling, while all the nitwit good old boys applauded. Read up on history to understand the present.

  fmr cbpo Posted June 17, 2009 3:55 PM
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  Von Raab? Interesting that you should mention the case which upheld the constitutionality of drug testing in the (former) U.S. Customs Service. Former CBPO, perhaps you are bitter because you were caught using drugs and were fired from the service?

  Since you are no longer employed by the agency I hope you use your free time to return to school. You write very poorly, and your thinking skills appear clouded.

  Current CBPO Posted June 17, 2009 9:11 AM
• 80217
  

  What a novel idea - make a much more realistic estimate and even have a little cushion rather than being grossly overbudget. (DoD take note.) As for the locality pay rate, I would bet that some of these new agents will be assigned to San Diego, the locality rate for which is among the highest in the country.

  Barney the Elf Posted June 16, 2009 6:31 AM
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  This is not the only thing that DHS-CBP is overestimating. They overestimated the importance of having agents staff the passport control primary lanes at the airports. The passport control primary lanes that are staffed by contractors could save the government hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most overlook that mistakenly thinking that stamping passports and entering data into US Visit system requires special knowledge that couldn't be taught by anyone except all knowing cbp yes men that is reliving their Von Raab era glory days with the creation of cbp.

  fmr cbpo Posted June 15, 2009 6:07 PM