Border Agents claim they were given arrest quotas.

[SirNitram]

Link

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Border Patrol agents working about 100 miles north of the Mexican border say they have been given arrest quotas at odds with agency practices and threatened with punishment if they failed to meet the number.

Agents stationed in Riverside reported being ordered to make at least 150 arrests of suspected illegal immigrants in January, two of which must lead to prosecutions, said Lombardo Amaya, president of Local 2554 of the National Border Patrol Council.

“They were told if you don’t produce this, we will have to change your weekends off,” Mr. Amaya said, adding that he would discuss the matter Monday with the sector chief. “Sometimes, like in politics, this agency is about looking good.”

An agency spokesman in Washington, Lloyd Easterling, said quotas ran counter to agency practice, which does not set a minimum number of arrests.

“If we had quotas to fill and met those quotas,” Mr. Easterling said, “then would that mean we would be able to stop doing our job? No. Our job is to secure the border and detect, deter and apprehend anyone who is involved in illegal activity between the ports of entry.”

Jeffrey Calhoon, chief patrol agent for the El Centro sector, which covers Imperial and Riverside Counties, said he was not aware of any quotas.

“We would never structure our work environment to create quotas,” Mr. Calhoon said. “We have a union we have to negotiate with.”

The agents’ accusations came weeks after one of their colleagues at the Riverside station was fired over a dispute with local management.

The union has appealed the termination of the colleague, Tony Platell, who said he was dismissed for disobeying an order to remain at a desert freeway checkpoint where six suspected illegal immigrants were picked up. Mr. Platell said he wanted to take them to the station quickly because they looked dehydrated.

The '100 miles from the border' thing isn't a typo. 100 miles in from land or sea border is still turf they're fully able to play in.

[Ekiqa]

The '100 miles from the border' thing isn't a typo. 100 miles in from land or sea border is still turf they're fully able to play in.

You know, if they concentrated the border cops on the border, there might not be such a big problem of illegal border crossings and such. Just a suggestion.

[Phantasee]

The '100 miles from the border' thing isn't a typo. 100 miles in from land or sea border is still turf they're fully able to play in.

You know, if they concentrated the border cops on the border, there might not be such a big problem of illegal border crossings and such. Just a suggestion.

Don't be ridiculous. Giving them authority over 100 miles from the border means the illegals have to run longer before they're 'safe'. Increasing their chances of getting caught, y'know.

[Sea Skimmer]

You know, if they concentrated the border cops on the border, there might not be such a big problem of illegal border crossings and such. Just a suggestion.

You know VC sappers crawled through the heaviest single lines of defenses the US was capable of constructing in Nam, and that’s with such minor advantages of being able to use explosive mines and barbed wire. You need defence in DEPTH to be effective (barring absurd levels of manpower), and this applies against illegal immigrants as much military situations.

[Death from the Sea]

Let me be clear, I am against any kind of quota for any kind of law enforcement.

I understand what the administration is trying to achieve with the quotas, they want the officer out working and earning their pay and not sitting around. And some days there is ample opportunity to sit around and do nothing and some days there is not.

Some think renaming the quota to "occupational goal" makes it acceptable, but it shouldn't be.

Good hiring practices and management should be used to keep lazy people out of law enforcement.

[Molyneux]

The '100 miles from the border' thing isn't a typo. 100 miles in from land or sea border is still turf they're fully able to play in.

You know, if they concentrated the border cops on the border, there might not be such a big problem of illegal border crossings and such. Just a suggestion.

Don't be ridiculous. Giving them authority over 100 miles from the border means the illegals have to run longer before they're 'safe'. Increasing their chances of getting caught, y'know.

On the other hand...doesn't that cover the entirety of Long Island and New York City? How far out to sea is the 'sea border'?

A hundred miles seems like it might be a little bit much.

[Ekiqa]

How many police forces do you need to overlap the 100 miles for adequate coverage?

Border cops, state troopers, local sherriffs?

Have the border cops on the border and at points of entry, such as airports.
Have the police that regularly patrols the interior, patrol the interior.

100 miles of tunnels is extreme, even for military sappers.
100 miles is several days running and walking. If you cant get the guys on their feet within a week, you will never get them.

[Wicked Pilot]

Giving them authority over 100 miles from the border means the illegals have to run longer before they're 'safe'.

For a lot of the border area you can get 100 miles in and you still wouldn't be 'safe' even if the Border Patrol wasn't looking for you.

Have the border cops on the border and at points of entry, such as airports.
Have the police that regularly patrols the interior, patrol the interior.

Nice in theory, but border patrol agents receive training and equipment specific to that job. Mainstream police forces not so. If they where tasked as such they'd have to overhaul their departments to handle the job, which would probably mean each county and city along the border having their own border patrol division. Instead of having one organization we'd have dozens with all the communication and jurisdictional asspain and waste that comes along with such unnecessary duplication. Besides, it's traditionally been the job of the Federal government to secure the U.S., not the Po'Dunk County Sheriff's Office.

If you cant get the guys on their feet within a week, you will never get them.

Am I to assume you are making this claim based upon personal experience?


I was originally going to post something about how I think quotas and law enforcement shouldn't go together. Is that what the thread was going to be about, or are we going to haggle over jurisdictional queef?

[Master of Ossus]

On the other hand...doesn't that cover the entirety of Long Island and New York City? How far out to sea is the 'sea border'?

A hundred miles seems like it might be a little bit much.

Riverside is a fairly large city around which illegal immigration has been a huge problem. It would be like putting border patrol agents in LA--it's not geographically near the border, but a LOT of illegal immigrants funnel through it.

[Knife]

Riverside is a fairly large city around which illegal immigration has been a huge problem. It would be like putting border patrol agents in LA--it's not geographically near the border, but a LOT of illegal immigrants funnel through it.

Indeed, Riverside and LA proper are huge hubs for illegal immigrants. Riverside is huge funnel for migrant workers in the fields too, plus a stepping of point for other western states.

[SirNitram]

Riverside is a fairly large city around which illegal immigration has been a huge problem. It would be like putting border patrol agents in LA--it's not geographically near the border, but a LOT of illegal immigrants funnel through it.

Indeed, Riverside and LA proper are huge hubs for illegal immigrants. Riverside is huge funnel for migrant workers in the fields too, plus a stepping of point for other western states.

Honestly, it'd be easier to grasp the intelligence of the move if it was targetted on 'problem cities'. Right now it just seems terribly silly, or if you're as paranoid about ICE as I am, vaguely sinister.

[Ekiqa]

On the other hand...doesn't that cover the entirety of Long Island and New York City? How far out to sea is the 'sea border'?

A hundred miles seems like it might be a little bit much.

Riverside is a fairly large city around which illegal immigration has been a huge problem. It would be like putting border patrol agents in LA--it's not geographically near the border, but a LOT of illegal immigrants funnel through it.

Would it not be easier to deal with illegal immigration if you caught them crossing the border, rather than once they are safely settled within the country?

Nice in theory, but border patrol agents receive training and equipment specific to that job. Mainstream police forces not so. If they where tasked as such they'd have to overhaul their departments to handle the job, which would probably mean each county and city along the border having their own border patrol division. Instead of having one organization we'd have dozens with all the communication and jurisdictional asspain and waste that comes along with such unnecessary duplication. Besides, it's traditionally been the job of the Federal government to secure the U.S., not the Po'Dunk County Sheriff's Office.

As it is possible for accused murderers to easily cross into the US from Canada, (see Arber "Benny" Krasniqi) would it not be best to station guards at the border, both Canadian and Mexican?

Defence in depth is fine, but a solid line at the border would stop far more than dudes 100 miles back would.

[Akkleptos]

Most of that would be unnecessary if only there were a sensible plan for season-working immigrants. The fun bit is that most Mexican illegal immigrants wouldn't really want to stay in the US if they didn't have to *gasp* despite the pervasive American belief that "everybody wants to migrate to the US" and that widespread subconscious idea that the US is the absolute best place to live (when it comes to standard of living, other countries surpass the US. If you consider quality of life, the US does even worse). But as far as impoverished Mexican peasants know, the US is the best, closest choice, right?

Well, the fact is that they usually return to Mexico for the holidays, the money they've earned buys more in Mexico, many of them don't adapt well to the US and they'd prefer to live in Mexico, with their families, in the places where they were born and were brought up. It's only that they can make more money working illegally in the US. But when border control tightens, there's no guarantee that they can return to the US if they get back to Mexico for their vacation/season time off, etc. So, they stay. They have a more of a motivation to seek residency or even citizenship. They seek to even bring their families in, rather than just working the farming seasons, making some dollars, then going back to Mexico to their hometowns. Not good if what you don't want is illegal, uncontrolled migration.

Would it not be easier to deal with illegal immigration if you caught them crossing the border, rather than once they are safely settled within the country?

Wouldn't it be better to come up for a good legal migrant workers plan than to try and police the world's longest, busiest border?

[Wicked Pilot]

As it is possible for accused murderers to easily cross into the US from Canada, (see Arber "Benny" Krasniqi) would it not be best to station guards at the border, both Canadian and Mexican?

I'm sure someone from the border area who crosses routinely could provide info on what kind of border manning we have and at what levels.

Defence in depth is fine, but a solid line at the border would stop far more than dudes 100 miles back would.

You're not one of those 2000 mile fence advocates are you?