According to Onell Soto of the Union Tribune, more than 40% of Homeland Security workers are under suspicion of corruption, the majority of which currently work in San Diego and Imperial counties.
The reasons cited in the article for such a high corruption rate include romance, sense of responsibility to family and friends, frustration over current policies and of course, greed.
Read the entire article here:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20061022-9999-1m22corrupt.html
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Comments: 36
corruption should not be tolerated for any reason.
I can tell you firsthand - it's hard. I'm inclined to feel both empathy and fear. This is not working, guys. It just isn't. Look at what this is costing us - and it isn't even effective! We are barely scratching the surface....
Where the hell is that FENCE?
trouble: The feds have sneaked across our borders with everything from radioactive materials to false ID's.
We're going to get nailed again, God help us.
Be very scared.
"More than forty percent of all Department of Homeland Security workers now under suspicion of corruption around the country – 72 out of 172 – are in San Diego and Imperial counties, a top investigator said." Onell Soto
What he is saying is that out of 172 DHS empoyees under investigation 72 of them are in San Diego. That's 41.86 percent of the 172 employees under investigation are in San Diego not that 40 percent of all DHS empoyees are under investigation. I couldn't find the according to the DHS website there are more then 180,000 DHS employees. Now to my favorite subject math.
172 corrupt employees / 180,000 DHS employees = 0.00095 percent.
Did anyone that commented on this article even take the time to read it. Amy, David, or Debbie. I did. let's not jump to conclusions.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061022/news_1m22corrupt.html
Do you realize how small of a number that is that is in thousands of a percent. Jackie articles like this damage your credibility. I think your doing a good thing by telling people that most Illegal Aliens are good people, but with articles and statements like this people may start to think that you are not telling the truth.
I couldn't find the exact number, but according to the DHS website there are more then 180,000 DHS employees
In light of that (and admittedly before doing my homework) I have to say that this simply shifts the focus of the article, instead of invalidating it entirely.
If 40% of those under investigation are in the San Diego jurisdiction, then San Diego has a SERIOUS problem with corruption. And since San Diego appears to be one of the "hot spots" for the entire issue, I'm glad this was brought into focus.
As Jackie said, our control is only as good as our control agents. There's a gaping hole in San Diego (where else?) and that's cause to be frightened indeed. Who is coming through that hole?
What can we do to help patch that hole and prevent new ones? A few good men sticking fingers into the dike just aren't going to stop the flooding.
Damn it Jackie, get on one side of the issue or the other.
BTW, while I was in the shower yesterday with my TV on high volume, I heard that illegal immigrants are posing as Border Patrol Agents. I'm not sure what channel my TV was on at the time. Has anyone else heard of this or does anyone have any links to this ? I googled it and came up empty.
I believe that it was in Arizona. The illegals took a white van and painted it to look like a Border Patrol vehicle. I am not sure if this is exactly what you heard, but this is one example anyways.
Timothy V., If I understand Jackie at all, it's not the "support of illegal immigrants" she's changed her stance on. She's worried about security, ie terrorism, just like the rest of us. This does not preclude her desire to find a solution to the the problem of illegals AND give us security at the same time. She can explain for herself, I'm sure, but that's what I understood from reading her.
Timothy: It is isn't all right or left. It isn't that I scream amnesty - this isn't the "free love" of the sixties, dammit. This is about the humane treatment of people who bleed, just like you do. This is about corporate and government greed, this is about national security and this is about progress.
It is possible to see illegal immigrants as people. It not only is possible - it's the right thing to do.
You insist upon accountability for their lawlessness - try insisting upon it for our own role in this disaster.
I see control as necessary - period. I don't see how we can depend on people to get it right nor just technology. It needs to be a combination of the two. I know many, many, many hard working, dedicated, religious illegal immigrant families. It's like anything else - you can't scoop them all up and put them in one box. No more than you can say that all black people are lazy or all white people are prejudiced.
I don't have to meet your definition of pro or anti - I have a responsibility to myself, my children and my country to see this for what it is. There are times I would like to remove the emotion and forget they are human and there are times I feel the urge to act strictly from the heart.
I can't do either because it isn't all law and it isn't all emotion. It's a combination and taking the time to see a situation for what it is - literally.
In my opinion those who don't are simply afraid or too angry to deal with this issue - it which case they torment and aggravate people they would gladly welcome into this country.
You are so quick to blame folks for their part in this disaster - you give no quarter.
I wonder what would happen if you turned some of that energy on those responsible - like our very own, home grown politicians and corporations. If you screamed half as loudly to them as you do about illegal immigrants and all the damage they do - you may actually accomplish something.
It doesn't specifically state that all 72 are border patrol, inspectors etc. It implies it with Hook's comments, but it doesn't say it exactly.
On the other hand, how many DHS employees are in San Diego for OTHER reasons? I haven't found any stats on it yet, but am curious. According to this, just this last year 5 border patrol agents, 3 inspectors and 2 Navy personel were convicted of some type of corruption. That's too many for an area that has so much border traffic.
"Union officials say that poor screening in the rapid increase in the hiring of border guards has caused standards to drop so badly that one of the corrupt Border Patrol agents wasn't even a U.S. citizen."
YIKES! Didn't I call for a massive combined database for employers to check? I'm guessing DHS should stop making lame excuses for not doing it and be the first to test the new system!
Inspectors at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa aren't told their lane assignments ahead of time, can't use cell phones and are backed up by surprise checks of cars before and after they file past their booths.
It also sounds like San Diego could take a few tips from San Ysidro and Utay Mesa!
Now that Beltran has been caught and called on it, she redirects the subject and goes on to blame everyone else for the dishonestly of the illegal aliens. Way to go Jackie, spin then deflect the issue. You are a paid advocate for illegal aliens. Trying to come off as neither for or against illegal aliens reduces your credibility even more.
Here is a story from USA Today. This case was barely mentioned in the SignonSanDiego article. Guess that it did not fit into their agenda.
"Oscar Antonio Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent in El Cajon, Calif., was sentenced in July to five years in prison for conspiring to bring at least 100 illegal immigrants into the United States. Ortiz admitted that he and fellow agent Eric Balderas took money to transport illegal migrants north from the international boundary, sometimes in their Border Patrol vehicles. "They would have an arrangement with the smuggling organization: Meet us at 'x' point at 'x' time. Aliens would run through the fence into the Border Patrol truck. The truck would be driven north," said federal prosecutor Alana Wong. Balderas faces up to five years at his October sentencing. In an odd twist, the investigation revealed that Ortiz was himself an illegal immigrant. Ortiz applied for the Border Patrol with a fake birth certificate listing Chicago as his birthplace, though it was really Tijuana, Mexico."
Sound familiar Jackie? How many of your "farm workers" have presented forged birth certificates to you?
Anyone who breaks the law has to pay the consequences. Corrupt border agents are no different from anyone else and neither are illegal aliens. If fact, corrupt agents receive far harsher sentences than illegal aliens who commit the same crime. And let's not forget that 95% of the people doing the smuggling on the border are themselves illegal aliens.
It's all about integrity and personal responsibility for your actions. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. And if you decide to do the crime, expect to pay the price. Don't whine about it or blame someone else for your misconduct and the choice you made.
So, if I'm paid to advocate, you are paid to imprison.
If the feds allow for both our positions - fund both our jobs - why is it you believe you are any better or the feds look upon what you do as in any way more important?
Some of your phrasing is VERY familiar...hmmm.....I've read these statements before.....LOL.....You aren't that good, you know....
The answer is no. A great many of those I assist are legal residents and citizens of this country who, for generations, have performed agricultural labor in this country.
There are lots of illegal immigrant kids - 16 - 22 years - working unaccompanied in the migrant stream. They rely on good crew leaders to transport them from one state to the other. After expenses they earn way less than you would expect. However - it is still much, much more than they could ever earn in their country.
I see more Guatemalans these days. I saw more migrating families this year, too. Could be the location or some other factor I haven't discovered yet.
No, I am not governed by the same laws as business because we are here to educate any of public school age - to persuade them to seek education and other resources. Their lives are cut-off from the rest of the world. They travel and are often isolated. They don't know how to enroll their kids in school or where to go. Their children are U.S. citizens and have the right to an education. They are human beings. The other reason we exist is to limit child labor in the fields. It isn't uncommon to see 10 year olds picking blueberry or cucumbers or other crops.
We are part of the movement to end child labor in the United States and extend education - cultural, language and other essential skills.
We are attacked incessantly by people like John W. and Timothy and Brenda. I guess they would prefer to see babies toiling in one hundred degree weather....
Who knows, sigh...why we stab at those who harvest our crops....
Amy-- LOL! You know someone is gonna find a way to blame them for this, somehow. It's always ALL THEIR FAULT, don't you know? ;)
Americans will help to a fault but the cost of illegals have put us in a survival mode and our backs against the wall. Yet they still pour in knowing they are hurting us. Because of the political hands in the pot the mexicans would have been better off if we just gave them our money to stay in Mexico. We might know this by a different name... outsourcing!
The illegal aliens that reside in U.S. cities are not picking any crops. They are directly competeing with native citizens for jobs, contracts and social services while staying under the radar.
Do we need immigrants...yes. Do we need "these" illegal aliens NO! The world is full of people that would come here legally and do whatever work was offered.
I supplied the link - you drew your own conclusions - what is it you hope for exactly?
In the article she said, "According to Onell Soto of the Union Tribune, more than 40% of Homeland Security workers are under suspicion of corruption, the majority of which currently work in San Diego and Imperial counties."
The article said, "More than forty percent of all Department of Homeland Security workers now under suspicion of corruption around the country – 72 out of 172 – are in San Diego and Imperial counties, a top investigator said."
Can some one explain to me how that is even remotely close to a summarization of the article. Sorry I still don't see it. Oh yea I don't disagree with the article I disagree with your supposed quote or summarization. I think you should either admit to trying to mislead or explain that you made mistake and correct it.
"Perfection be the illusionists art
hath been that way from the start
so if thou cryest foul play and such
Methinks thou doth protest.... too much!"
Ch'erie de Perrott
I have waited years for the chance to use that! muhaha!
I have a question: Why do immigrants come here illegally ? How long does it take to get a permit (Green Card) and how difficult is it?
Based on what I have been told by some Mexicans who spent time here, the waiting time to receive a permit is something like three years ? is this correct?
If this is the situation, it is my opinion we must ask have the United States Congress "Do you know what the problem is ?" and then "What are you going to do about it?"
Both parties seem to only react reflexively to problems or issues these days and there surely doesn't appear to have been any analytical effort put on this one.
[Jackie, sticking out tongue at Ar'Ullamh and planning to steal his/her quote]
Bill: The workers who currently fill the needs here are uneducated. There is a labor visa called the H2A that I am familiar with but it is corrupt south of the border and can take 18 months or more for a farmer to qualify. Many times the farmer may hire 4-5 citizens, but they don't last the season - this alone sets the farmer back in applying. Farm labor or anything agricultural is typically labor intensive and usually used as a "stepping stone" for any citizen who takes the job. The pay many times is adequate unless you are illegal - the jobs offered through the Employment
Sec. Commission in my area start at $8.50 hr. and offer consistent raises for being dependable and doing a good job.
A permit (green card) does not exist for these worker unless a farmer has enough heart, patience and money to sponsor the worker. It does happen but it is rare.
The situation in MX is fraught with corruption - bribes and blacklisting - and the majority of workers from Chiapas and Oaxaca do not even know what the H2A is and even if they did, they couldnt' afford the upfront costs to pay for it.
The U.S. Congress has known, from what I can tell through the Thomas Register, since 1992. That's when Soc. Sec. asked them what to do with all the money being paid in on fraudulent soc. sec. numbers. Congress enacted the suspense fund. To date the amount of soc. sec. in the fund is based on more than 519 billion dollars.
The IRS created the ITIN number, expanded its use to allow illegal immigrants to pay federal taxes - now totalling more than 300 million dollars.
The point is this: They know. They not only know - they allow it to continue. They will only give these people equal rights if pushed to do so.
That is why there is danger, Bill. Many politicians want them here off the books and if the immigrants want more - they'll kick them out.
Like it or not, that is reality.
The question is, if we allow politicians to play with civil rights, ignore a huge immigrant influx to reap the benefits of cheap labor, and then spread hatred when the immigrants demonstrate in the streets for equal rights.....What does that say about us? Does that mean that the world is right and we are bullies, consumption pigs who care more for our needs than the rest of the world?
I don't think so. In my opinion, there are many in government who are racist and who can't stand the thought of another leading minority in this country. The good news is, they aren't speaking from experience. Many of the voters know these people personally. We see how they fill our churches and their dedication to their children.
Acts ultimately defeat violent words. The feds wanted them here for years - now they don't. Doesn't work that way.
There won't be any real change. The feds will do something that everyone thinks will work and then we'll all become subservient and illegal immigration will continue.
Why? It fuels this nation - we can't survive without it - and no one will change it for exactly that reason.
You make the statement that people (you named the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca) coming to the U.S. didn't know what a H2A visa was "and even if they did, they couldn't afford the upfront costs to pay for it". If they're too poor to pay for an H2A visa, how is it that they CAN afford to pay some coyote upwards of from $2,000 to $10,000 to "guide and escort them" into the United States illegally?
They don't pay until after they start working over here. The coyote is attached to the crew leader and very often knows where the worker's family resides in MX. If he doesn't receive his money, he harrasses the family in MX until they give it to him.
Forget about the ones that make it and think about the ones that don't. I'm sure you have heard of containers full of have dead people being found. Imagine how many are not found how many people loose their lives. I met a girl from Honduras ones. She told me about paying the entire trip with her body. How sad is that. I guess if that's her trade it's no big deal, but it didn't sound like it was something she liked. I'll never forget that. I also met an old lady that was promised to be taken to Phoenix for her gold chain and gold rings, they ended up taking her about 200 yards north of the border and beating her up and left her for dead. My point is the price is high and not always pretty.
As for getting a VISA, well you need a valid passport before you can get a VISA. In Mexico in order to get a passport you must have a home with an actual street address, proof of time in residence, and be currently employed, they do that to prove that you are not planning on leaving the country. You also must have a Bank Account with a certain amount of money in the account. You must have the money to pay for the passport. The VISA itself is issued by the country you are trying to enter. So those costs are minimal. How is a person with no physical address and no access to a bank going to get a passport in Mexico? They will not is the answer. That just took out just every person in a rural farm area in Mexico with the exception of the Ranch owner and a few other select people. Basically if your poor unless you save up several months salary for a bribe or have a pretty daughter or wife your not getting one. (I would like to state that the requirements for a Mexican passport I have heard from the Illegal Aliens that are apprehended. I have heard the same things so many times that I assume those are correct. Please correct me with a reference if I am incorrect)
It is also important to note that Immigrant Visas, parole's, refugees, deportations, and those trying to legalize after an illegal entry are all processed by the same people. So the Illegal Aliens themselves are slowing down the process more. I believe that in order for us to break the broken system;
a. We need to take the third world country out of the equation.
b. Speed up the system
c. Truly secure the border (this is really "a" nothing can happen till this is done.
d. update the law to meet not only the demand of today, but also of tomorrow.
As I have stated before though I don't think the voter will do any of this until the issues that are pushing the Illegal Aliens out of many communities and turning voters against them begin to be addressed. Again I'll state that unless the Illegal Aliens themselves begin to address these issues the minds of the voters will not change and the country will remain divided.