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Is as open as it possibly can be they are letting just anybody flow over. We have the shittiest border security in the history of the planet… And we have a appeasing bitch for a commander in chief fortunately some new blood is coming into power.
Earlier this year President Trump ordered the agency to hire an additional 5,000 agents, but as of May, the Border Patrol had “about 1,900 fewer agents than authorized,” according to a GAO study released this month. The study said officials pointed to the shortage “as a key challenge for optimal agent deployment.” It found that agents were available for deployment only 43 percent of the time, and were quitting their jobs faster than the Border Patrol could hire new ones. Over the past few years, an average of 904 agents have left the force annually, with only 523 new agents hired to replace them. The federal government increased border patrol staffing from a total of 9,821 agents in FY 2001 to a high of 21,444 in FY 2011, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures.
But the level of agents has dropped every year since to a low of 19,828 in FY 2016. “We are well below what our staffing levels should be,” Stu Harris, vice president of Local 1929 of the National Border Patrol Council told CNSNews.com. Harris said a polygraph test was added to the hiring process several years ago in response to allegations of corruption among new agents. The tests take between six and eight hours, he noted. “They spend all this time trying to find a way to trick people up and they are disqualifying candidates that would otherwise be qualified.” Harris said he knew of one applicant who had a top secret security clearance in the Marine Corps but failed the Border Patrol polygraph test which, he said, differed from the one-and-a-half to two hour test used by the DEA and FBI.
Harris said candidate recruiting needs to be improved so that fewer fail the polygraph – but first, the test itself “has to be fixed.” The CBP did not respond to a request for comment. It has pointed out previously, however, that Congress in 2016 waived the polygraph requirement for applicants who are veterans and already have a “top secret” security clearance. Harris also pointed to difficult work conditions that make the job less attractive for prospective recruits and contribute to the attrition of existing agents, including remote locations lacking medical and other essential services needed by families. “We lose a lot of agents from these remote stations where there is nothing there for them,” he said. “When you have a station that maybe had 300 agents two years ago and they are down to 250 agents, that makes a difference.” According to the GAO study, Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly two million individuals along the southwest border from fiscal years 2012-2016, and made 90,000 seizures of illegal items during the same period. “Most of these seizures (92 percent) were narcotics, and 87 percent of narcotics seizures were marijuana,” it said.
In an article posted to the CBP website Michael Tucker, commander of CBP’s National Frontline Recruitment Command, said current attrition rates are around five percent, “which is quite high.” “We need to hire almost 3,000 agents and officers annually for the next five years to attain our goals." According to the article, applicants for Border Patrol agent positions must pass an entrance test, medical exam, physical fitness test, the polygraph test and a background investigation. In 2015 the average time needed to complete the hiring process was 469 days. The CBP has managed to cut that to 160 days by establishing centralized hiring “hubs,” where candidates can complete the process in one location, the article said. “We are trying to make it easier for candidates to apply while maintaining our high standards,” Tucker said.
High Attrition Rates, Application Hurdles Leave Border Patrol Short of Agents
Why is that needed? They have committed treason, apply the laws for that. No new laws needed.I love the focus of the Republican Party and the Trump Administration to address this constitutional responsibility of the federal government. Well done Senator Cruz....
Ted Cruz Pushing Congress to REVOKE Citizenship to Americans Who...
And today, under the treasonous fat senile old orange clown, what has changed?Is as open as it possibly can be they are letting just anybody flow over. We have the shittiest border security in the history of the planet… And we have a appeasing bitch for a commander in chief fortunately some new blood is coming into power.
They have six or eight prototypes a few yards wide beaten only by a ladder exactly one foot taller. Mexico paid for the ladder (rumor has it.And today, under the treasonous fat senile old orange clown, what has changed?Is as open as it possibly can be they are letting just anybody flow over. We have the shittiest border security in the history of the planet… And we have a appeasing bitch for a commander in chief fortunately some new blood is coming into power.
The letter, posted online by the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), says Congress must act to secure the nation’s borders by:
* Enforcing existing immigration laws,
* Tightening border security,
* Supporting the replacement of, and upgrades to, current barriers and fencing,
* Constructing barriers along the U.S. and Mexico international boundary as requested by those areas where it is needed,
* Suspending and/or monitoring the issuance of visas to any place where adequate vetting cannot occur,
* Ending criminal cooperation and shelter in cities, counties, and states, and
* Have zero tolerance and increased repercussions for criminal aliens.
“Without border security and immigration reform, more Americans will continue to be victims of crime. Now is the time to act,” the letter says, warning that serious illegal alien crime is increasing and harming Americans – because Congress has refused address the problem: “Year after year, we have been warning the Federal government about detrimental increases in transnational drug trafficking, gang violence, sex trafficking, murder, and other escalating incidents of crime by illegal aliens entering our country,” “Because Congress has failed to enact the necessary reforms, our citizens and legal residents face even greater dangers, our national security is more vulnerable, and our enforcement efforts have been seriously compromised.”
Without action, more Americans will die, the letter warns:
“Further delay and inaction on immigration reform will cost more innocent lives, more financial hardships, and an even greater decline in the public trust that is essential to the preservation of our Republic.”
The sheriffs also call for an end to local and state efforts – like sanctuary city policies – to thwart law enforcement efforts:
“These sanctuary policies, including the laws California enacted, directly undermine and limit cooperation and collaboration between local, state and federal law enforcement, making it harder for America’s sheriffs to protect our citizens and legal residents.” “In addition, the problem of MS-13 and other gangs that operate back and forth across our borders has become worse because of our failure to secure the border and the continued court-ordered catch and release policies.”
Earlier this month, National Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson issued a statement condemning Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for alerting criminals that there would be a law enforcement operation in her area which, Thompson said, “put both citizens and police in danger.” “What the Mayor is doing is dangerous and reckless. By alerting the public of the operation, she gave known criminal illegals safe harbor which ultimately put the people in that area, as well as law enforcement, in danger."
The Sheriffs’ letter says these types of policies not only frustrate law enforcement officers, they also endanger their lives: “The failure of Congress to create legitimate and comprehensive immigration reform for more than 20 years has dramatically undermined our ability to keep our communities safe. This not only puts our law enforcement at serious risk for danger, but further puts them in an untenable situation of violating our oath and promise to enforce the law."
380 Sheriffs Warn Congress Failure to Secure Border ‘Will Cost More Innocent Lives’
"I think it would take an act of Congress to make sure that we prioritize and appropriate the dollars for that objective," Scott told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "The reality of it is, as commander in chief, he can certainly send signals through (Defense) Secretary Mattis, have a conversation with Congress about where those dollars should be spent. The good news is, we're spending. We're providing more money to the military than we have in a very long time, more than a decade," Scott said. "The unfortunate reality is that the priorities of the DOD have already been set. However, our southern border is very porous. The truth is that more folks came through our southern border that did not come from Mexico. It is certainly a national security issue."
Scott said it's more appropriate for the Homeland Security Department, rather than the Defense Department, to "find the resources" to build Trump's long-promised wall. "You're saying Congress would need to weigh in to reprogram those funds?" host Margaret Brennan asked Scott. "Absolutely," the senator replied. "We should not expect that from the president," he added.
A week ago, President Trump said he might have found a way to build his wall, even though the omnibus spending bill rules out anything other than see-through "fences" and "levees." Trump tweeted at the time: "Because of the $700 & $716 Billion Dollars gotten to rebuild our Military, many jobs are created and our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!" (M stands for military.)
In a second tweet, Trump wrote: "Much can be done with the $1.6 Billion given to building and fixing the border wall. It is just a down payment. Work will start immediately. The rest of the money will come - and remember DACA, the Democrats abandoned you (but we will not)!"
Sen. Tim Scott: Porous Border 'Is Certainly A National Security Issue'
He stressed the importance of a border wall in denying entry to illegal immigrants and contraband. “I want to address something that’s been in the news lately. It’s whether our front-line operators - the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol want and need, and these border barrier systems are what they asked for,” Vitiello said. “The information that we’ve used and the tools that we’ve developed, and the needs that are expressed in these requirements come from the field. The U.S. Border Patrol, sector chiefs, and agents in the field have been vocal about their need for effective barriers to deny the entry of illegal aliens and contraband,” he said. “The truth is walls work, and the data show it, and agents know it,” Vitiello said. “DHS and CBP are fully committed to a balanced investment in physical infrastructure, access and toll roads, technology, and personnel to support critical border security missions,” he said.
Vitiello also gave an update on the administration’s efforts to build the wall. He said with President Donald Trump and his administration’s leadership and commitment to border security, funding for the wall would not be possible. He said the eight prototypes of the wall were completed last October were built based on input and operational needs provided by Border Patrol agents. “In San Diego, we’re looking at 14 miles of new border wall, getting rid of old, dilapidated landing mats in favor of a steel bollard wall. We’re also replacing 14 miles of secondary barrier in San Diego. In Calexico, we’re on schedule and on budget to build a new 30 foot border wall as approved by the administration. This replaces two miles of pedestrian barrier,” Vitiello said. “More importantly, we identified this need back in 2009. In 2017, the administration fought and secured for enough funding, not only for its construction, but also for enough money to build it at the 30-foot height. Continuing east, we’re on track to 20 new miles of border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Groundbreaking scheduled for April, early April,” he said. “In addition, we have four new miles in El Paso, Texas. In the Rio Grande Valley, we’re building 35 new gates along a stretch of 55 miles of existing border wall, closing critical gaps in the current infrastructure. Finally, we plan to replace at least 47 miles of dilapidated border fencing with new border wall system in various locations along the southwest border,” he said.
CBP also plans to build 25 miles of new levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidaldo County, Vitiello said. “Border wall system provides a comprehensive solution that combines wall, lighting, enforcement, cameras and other related technology on all weather roads to impede and deny illegal cross border activity.
CBP Deputy Commissioner: ‘Walls Work’
