BORDER PATROL AGENTS GONE BAD

The New York Times reports on this phenomenon. Unfortunately, the rush to rapidly expand the ranks in the Border Patrol will bring these kinds of problems.

Comments

[Legal and no longer waiting]

hmm, the alternative would be to have steep punishment for Border Patrol for allowing drugs and not so steep for allowing people. This way, the people moving will be more profitable for both Border Patrol and coyotes, and people will not die in the desert. In some strange way, it's a win-win.

[hmm]

LNLW:, I think you are correct too, no dramatic immigration increase will be happening in near future, so why consider it as a realistic option? This is an empty dream.

[Legal and no longer waiting]

hmm, you are correct. The answer is to increase the punishment for allowing the drugs in, remove quotas for work-based temporary visits/immigration (including the low-skilled type), and significantly relax family based immigration quotas. That will allow people who are coming for work to cross legally and thus will drain coyotes of monetary resources. But I doubt the last two will happen in the next 10 years.

[hmm]

My take on this is that previously there was little difficulty in moving people and drugs across the border. Now it is becoming harder and coyotes and drug cartels have to invest some serious money into dealing with Border Patrol. Isn't it good news? As for relation to illegal immigration, like it or not, if people can move across the border unchecked, so can drugs.

I gather the hope of immigration lobby is that once there are legal channels for people to immigrate, there will be less unchecked human traffic across the border, so the Border Patrol can focus on drugs, and hence be more efficient. This sounds reasonable, however the increase in immigration level will have to be dramatic to let in all those who wants to get in. Where does one draw a line? My guess is that there will still be many people who would want to come illegally and try their luck up north. The answer of immigration lobby could be that drugs is not really a huge problem in this country, and not so much related to immigration anyway, so the solution is just keep the border enforcement as it was, do not beef it up. They may be right on this one too. Anyway, this seems like a complex problem without easy answers..

[Legal and no longer waiting]

Wait until working for the border patrol will be considered profitable because of all sorts of undertable cash income agents will be able to get. Same (if not more) goes to police jobs in the states that think self-enforcing immigration laws is a good idea.

[Another voice]

I guess this is how they are securing the border by becoming "COYOTES" themselves. Not sure how we should interpret this if all the candidates say that the border must be secure before CIR, then we are in for a long hall.