Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Trump – posing as a conservative while schizophrenically shmoozing with a Socialist Democrat mayor – and his MAGA Media – polar opposite but just as politically myopic as the Left (and equally ignorant of real Life) – launched like vultures at L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’s remarks that Hispanics’ primary motivation for joining the Border Patrol is monetary. She is “saddened” to think that once they take to the field they will be disappointed in what is required of them.
The MAGA Media makes much of the Left being on the wrong side of “80-20” issues. This time Trump and MAGA Media are on the wrong side of reality when it comes to the border. MAGA Media -as they do with everyone in military uniform being “heroes” – blankets all border agents (border patrol, CBP officers working Ports of Entry, ICE, etc.) as “patriots.”
Having retired from both the military and CBP, my opinion is “Meh, maybe in some individuals – but not the primary motivation for most individuals enlisting in the military or signing on to work on the border.
Perhaps immediately after 9/11 there was a burst of patriotism but the number of people joining the military or working on the border out of patriotic duty is numerically insignificant and a brief blip on the recruitment radar.
What the media didn’t cover were the numerous cases of National Guard units failing to meet standards to deploy, some (in Louisiana) refusing to deploy, mass separations from units tagged for deployment (Governor Walz was just one of hundreds) and women in the military getting pregnant to get out or by simply refusing to show up.
It happened in Korea during a major international incident. The 8th Army commanding general was relieved for complaining 30% of his females soldiers refusing to report for duty and were attempting to leave Korea- the potential battleground.
The reality is most join the military and the Border Patrol for financial reasons. That’s one of those “80-20” no brainers.
Most – 90%- join the military for the decent pay, benefits and retirement. This includes paying all medical and dental expenses for the soldier and his family as well as the generous G.I. Bill for college (a benefit transferable to the soldier’s children. It includes free housing or Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) – not a small amount – and the reason for massive numbers of fraudulent marriages between two soldiers who never have children and are “geographic bachelors.“ Each cohabiting service member receiving between $2,000.00 for the lowest ranks to over $3,000.00 for officers each every month adjusted each year to COLA to compensate for off-base housing costs. This amounts to double charging the government for occupying the same property.
In addition to 30 days paid vacation soldiers get half a day off on paydays after a morning of “professional development” classes during “payday activities” and “training or safety days” in conjunction with federal holidays. While some civilians may get the holiday off, servicemembers receive a four-day weekend for every holiday. This amounts to a total of about an extra 30 days of paid vacation added to the 30 days authorized leave = 60 days.
You can tell why most join the military by the theme of the recruiting commercials. Whereas the Marines tell applicants “You should be glad I’m doing you a favor,” the Army will dangle college and all kinds of financial enticements and moral waivers to get them to sign the contract.
So, Hispanics join the Border Patrol for the money. So what? So do all the other ethnicities! Where else could a person without a college degree start as a GS-7 and in three years get promoted automatically to journeyman GS-11 with overtime practically doubling your salary with medical and dental benefits?
And, like the military, retire in 20 years?
A person of any ethnicity would be a fool not to apply.
CBP is 80% Hispanic because for decades only Hispanics have been selected as recruiters. White border agents who ask for duty as a recruiter are told it is a “Special Access Program” – code for “only Hispanics need apply. It’s the federal agency version of ethnic gerrymandering.
Hispanic recruiters routinely dissuade white applicants by telling them they “have” to speak Spanish in order to be hired. It is a lie. All non-Spanish speakers are given six weeks of Spanish language training at the end of the academy – teaching verbatim what they have to know to do their job.
This includes the Border Patrol.
During the Obama and Biden administrations DHS used white applicants “failing” the polygraph to maintain the Hispanic majority – and to keep the number of agents at the border to a low number by not replacing those who left en masse.
Several decades of Inspector General reports have found the Border Patrol can’t keep enough agents on the job. Depending on the economy, a high percentage of Border Patrol agents leave to take jobs with other law enforcement agencies.
Graduation from the Border Patrol academy qualifies as a police academy P.O.S.T. certificate in many states saving municipal and state agencies the cost of paying for recruits’ training.
Many – if not most – of the Border Patrol sectors are located where most Americans don’t want to live – or raise a family.
Doing a job that is inherently very dangerous – sitting an X alone on the border day or night with back up minutes away.
Doing two years on the Border and transferring to a civilian agency is a no brainer for anyone concerned with their family’s quality of life.
Cultural bias – the intrinsic inclination to “do a brother a favor” common in all minorities – is a strong temptation at the border – where, amazingly, DHS allows agents to work at the same locations where they grew up and have family “across the line.”
I saw that every day. (see: 10 Years on the Line: My War on the Border; Amazon books)
I also saw many Hispanic agents fully, faithfully and impartially executing the duties appointed them on a daily basis. Many times they were the best at the job given us.
As to the media giving weight to the words of a Border Patrol union president, Meh, not much.
Union membership is not required for representation as a DHS employee. Federal employees are not legally allowed to strike – so why pay dues for something with no teeth?
Several things stink about the CBP / Border Patrol union. Most agents I know of want to do their actual job – not apply for election to a position considered an ass-kissing, fast track to supervisory promotion.
If an agent is not a dues paying union member, the union rep still has to represent him – but the union will charge the agent the total amount of unpaid union back dues from date of employment to do so.
Almost every Port Director at every land, air and sea Port of Entry on the southern border is Hispanic. It’s apparently also one of those “Special Access Programs.”
With a racial monopoly like that it’s no wonder my first briefing upon reporting to duty was from the Ethics Representative for INS whose first sentence was “The Immigration & Naturalization Service is the most corrupt agency in the federal government – regardless of how you measure it.” (see: 10 Years…)
Five years later, after erroneously hiring a convicted murderer, CBP decided to give lie detector tests to every southern border agent. Over fifty percent had dual citizenship with Mexico – a violation of their terms of employment and an obvious conflict of interest. They found so many border agents with dual citizenship they quit giving the polygraph and swept it under the rug.
The United States government does not recognize “dual citizenship.” It is an oxymoronic violation of the oath of citizenship whether implied by birth or through naturalization.
There are Border Patrol supervisors who cannot contact some of their agents in the field for their whole eight-hour shifts. What are they doing while they are incommunicado? Those honest agents who blow the whistle are always ostracized and, sometimes, murdered. (see: Who Killed Agent Ivey? this site)
Combine this with the inherent Hispanic cultural imbued by the “patron” system where payola is the accepted norm for rising above one’s status.
Add the human temptation to get easy money from the Cartels’ “plata o ploma” (silver or lead) and the opportunity for corruption is tempting for anyone raised in a culture where corruption is a matter of survival.
Finally, when agents see the President of the United States pardoning drug cartel leaders, promoting them to Cabinet positions and others of a variety of crimes, reducing penalties and removing restrictions on sales one can hardly blame the agents for thinking “What’s the use?
Trump does it. Why can’t I?”
