Mr. Homan,
Sir, I was hired as an immigration inspector shortly after retiring from the Army. As an immigration inspector at “the most corrupt Port of Entry in the U.S.”, I was threatened by management with loss of my job and threats against my life by their nepotistic hirelings almost on a daily and weekly basis for 11 and a half years. Appeals to the Tucson Director and Headquarters INS regarding a hostile work environment were ignored. In fact, HQ INS sent two “union” representatives to Douglas to tell me “you don’t have to be so enforcement minded. There are laws and then, there are laws.”
One supervisor told me “You have to quit thinking of yourself as defending America.”
At one point I was offered reassignment “for my safety” when my computer was hacked into by a supervisor and he distributed my official complaint detailing corruption at the Douglas Port of Entry. I refused.
An FBI agent interviewed me at a hotel and asked if I would be an informant for them as it was too difficult for them to “break into the incestuous family ties” at the Douglas Port of Entry. I refused.
Because I was retired military, I was discriminated against by local management for both promotions, training and job opportunities.
I was even criticized by fellow members of my church for deporting aliens of my religion who had illegally entered the US or had grossly overstayed their visas.
I was read my rights two days in a row for “deporting an American citizen” who was in fact a previously criminally deported alien and for a false claim of racism because I allegedly was not issuing any I-94 permits to aliens. The IG investigator found I was issuing more permits to qualified applicants than all other inspectors combined.
I was initially denied “permission “ to return to active duty in 2006 as a mobilized retiree by the Douglas. AZ Port Director and then charged with being “AWOL” by the same Port Director when I reported (again) for active duty in the military having taken legal military leave from CBP for the war.
My experience as an immigration inspector at the Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry drove me to the point of considering suicide. It helped destroy my marriage and affected my relationship with my four children.
I am so “high on Homan” for the resurrection of law & order at the border and cannot tell you how much you have restored my mental health and lowered my blood pressure.
My first question is:
How are you going to deal with DEI-appointed Port Directors at almost every Port of Entry in the United States who, under numerous previous administrations prior to Trump’s first, believe their job is to act as a “service” facilitating unqualified illegals entry into our country rather than “enforcement “ and simply enforcing the law as written?
In my opinion there needs to be an avenue for enforcement-minded officers at the Ports of Entry to challenge “service-minded” supervisors ignoring the law and overriding inspectors’ denial of entry to unqualified aliens. It is the unspoken pandemic at both land and air Ports of Entry.
CBP also needs to immediately stop allowing newly hired officers from working at the same Ports of Entry where they have lived all their lives and have familial conflicts of interest. This not only leads to in-office nepotism but has proven to provide opportunities for collusion in criminal activities much less ignoring immigration law for friends and family on the other side of the border.
I list other recommendations for efficiency and eliminating corruption at the Ports of Entry on the last pages of my book (see below).
My last question is a personal request if you will forgive me.
When I finally retired my badge was put into a metal shredder and destroyed by the Douglas, AZ Port Director rather than customarily stamping it “retired” and given to me.
Can you somehow contact the proper office at CBP or OMP and obtain a replacement retired CBP badge for me? I tried years ago and was bounced between bureaucracies. I am now 73 years old and it may seem a moot point at my being on “the short side of time.” But, before I “retire” permanently, finally having my retirement badge would be proof I did something to be proud of for my country -and worth it.
Despite the hell I went through I always felt it was a critically important job for which I brought exceptionally applicable skills and such that I continued “leaning forward in the foxhole” and did not quit. I felt I was truly securing my assigned sector of the perimeter – even when it seemed I was a majority of one.
I pray for your every success and the safety of everyone serving our country under your leadership.
Sincerest Regards,
Mike Ligon
email: IronMikey96@gmail.com
See: 10 Years On the Line: My War On the Border by yours truly at Amazonbooks.com and www.LigonClanLaw.com
