Some Border Patrol trainees are former gang members

Web Posted: 12/23/2008 12:00 CST
Praise, criticism meet Border Patrol growth
By Hernán Rozemberg - Express-News

The country's national border-protection force now stands at more than 18,000 agents — a milestone for the agency that started out in El Paso in 1924 with 450 officers on horseback.

The beef-up was part of a recruitment effort mandated by President George W. Bush two years ago when he announced the Border Patrol would hire 6,000 new agents by the end of 2008. The goal was a total of 18,319.

As of Dec. 6, the most recent count available, the work force stood at 18,160 agents — technically still short of the mandate, but officials are confident the official tally will be reached.

“We've been on track all year to meet and exceed the goal,â€

Cutting corners to hire is a wrong thing to do. The City of Miami Police Department leanred that lesson the hard way. In the 80's they needed alot more officers especially after the Mariel Boat Lift where Fidel Castro sent us thousands of his prisoners and mentally ill. They also need spanish speakers so they cut corners. In the end they ended up with crimes committed by their officers. I don't know if you know about the Miami River Killings but they were committed by corrupt cops who were stealing and selling drugs. There was even a version of it on the TV show Miami Vice. To this day the police department regularly has officers arrested and is Florida's version of L.A.P.D. or N.Y.P.D.

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Another experienced agent, an instructor at the agency's training academy in New Mexico, said his main concern lies with young trainees whose hearts are not in the mission but rather on the paycheck, making them more prone to corruption.

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Exactly and from the sounds of it, the pay-offs are far more than the pay for the job. Not to mention the chance that some may want the job exactly for that reason.....help further the cause.

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Nearly 16,000 agents are based at the Mexican border, while the Canadian boundary, which is more than twice as long and much more porous, is now home to almost 1,500 agents.

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It may be more porous but we don't have the violence and the traffic as bad as the southern border and we also have a country there that works with us, not against us. Mexico is no help and seems to have no desire what-so-ever to even try and help control it....heck, they encourage it.

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noting that arrests of illegal border crossers decreased by 44 percent since the hiring push began.

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That doesn't encourage me......they caught fewer but that doesn't mean anything.......how many got through that they didn't arrest? Heck we even have video of them and it doesn't matter unless they are caught. Sounds like Chicago mentality.....cut the Police force down and then report crime is less because they made fewer arrests.......DUGH. :roll:

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The agent, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal from his bosses, said some trainees are former gang members who have promised to straighten out.

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"straighten out"! 8O How can they put our nation's security into the hands of thugs? Someone needs to investigate this matter. :x

It is no different than TSA hiring MS-13 gang members and convicted felons for security screeners at one airport while I as retired military wasn't even considered when I applied. Go figure. The deliberate destruction of this nation for cheap labor and illegal votes under the NAU agenda.

The problem is also minority hiring quotas. It is no longer not only if you are qualified. This irks me to no end when I have to deal with people who gots jobs to fill quotas. I don't find the blacks too bad when it comes to law enforcement as they usually stay out of trouble. As one black officer said: " we feel like we are being watched and therefore will not even attempt not to play by the rules." It is the other one who get into trouble. There was one deputy who shot a man who was trying to kick out the window of the police car. Now unless the managed to get out of the handcuffs and the media didn't report it, there is not reason to shot a handcuffed person. I am waiting to hear more from people who work in that department.