The February 8th arrest of El Paso CBP officer Manuel Perez, Jr. is literally like a drop in the ocean of corruption within Customs & Border Protection:
“The Immigration & Naturalization Service is the most corrupt agency within the federal government – and Douglas is the most corrupt Port of Entry in the United States.” This is what the INS Headquarters Ethics representative told us in a Douglas, Port of Entry conference room just two weeks after I arrived from the INS academy at FLETC, Brunswick, GA. I suggested to the rep that, since INS is the largest federal agency outside the Department of Defense, perhaps its real numbers don’t reflect a serious per capita problem. “NO” he said, “INS – by any statistical measure- is the most corrupt federal agency in the government.”
That was in November, 1996:
In a Homeland Security Advisory Council article dated 2015 “A recent report claims that ‘arrests for corruption of CBP (U.S. Customs & Border Protection) personnel far exceed, on a per capita basis, such arrests at other federal law enforcement agencies’ (Homeland Security Advisory Council, 2015. p. 6)”
“Despite the importance of this topic, there is little general knowledge about this type of corruption.” – Janis Jancsics, Law Enforcement Corruption Along the U.S. Borders, Security Journal; https://doj.org/10.1057/s41284-019-00203-8
Both political Parties have always known this and rather than enforcing laws (both immigration and ethical) instead pass immigration “reform” that creates hordes of illegal aliens entering to exploit the newest loopholes.
In my opinion, based on several years of experience as a CBP officer at the Douglas, AZ Port of Entry, the corruption statistic is true and the reason there is little knowledge about it is because neither Party wants to upset their voter base or the National Chamber of Commerce.
The next closest corrupt federal agency (not including Fraud, Waste, and Abuse) is the Transportation Safety Agency (TSA) in which 40% of their entire staff are disciplined for malfeasance every year (see: “TSA! Go Away!” this site dated 6/10/2016)
Shortly after 9/11, and after a spate of corruption arrests within the former INS (including an officer who had a pre-employment conviction for murder) CBP began polygraphing every officer on the southern land border.
Of those tested 70% failed it – so INS / CBP stopped polygraphing.
INS / CBP at last look is 80% Latino. – by design.
Officers who are “selected” for recruiting junkets are not only 100% Latino but they tell every non-Latino CBP officer wanting to be a recruiter the slots are “Special Access Programs” meaning for Latinos only. These Latino-only recruiters tell every non-Latino CBP applicant he/she “has to speak Spanish” to be hired.
That is an outright lie.
Those who don’t (and some Anglos that do) speak Spanish are required to attend five weeks of Spanish language training in which the final test questions are drilled into their heads on a daily basis. It is rote memorization – no conversational or ER interviewing questions are ever taught.
I attended three months of Spanish language training at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Ft. Bragg, NC (gracias Sra. Peña!) and conducted high-level liaison and tactical training in Spanish in Central America as a detachment commander in the 7th Special Forces Group (ABN).
Yet not only was I told I had to attend Spanish language training at FLETC, Brunswick GA. but was evaluated deficient in Spanish by my first Latino Douglas Port of Entry supervisor – who had never actually observed my daily work performance. This during the advent of the laborious Expedited Removal Process (ER) in which I not only was making more Removal cases than anyone else but I was one of only two or three officers who understood the process and didn’t have our cases returned for correction and/or completion by the Assistant District Attorney in Tucson.
It was during this time I was counseled in writing and warned not to include my findings of “pocket trash” (U.S. phone numbers, addresses, employment records in the pockets of illegals) during pat downs in the ER report for intel analysts and ICE agents to exploit.
I was also told I failed a “new qualification test” three weeks after graduating from the immigration academy. I was not allowed to see my graded test and learned that the test was made available to Latino officers for review a week prior to the test being given. Having “failed” an unauthorized exam as a brand new probationer I was threatened with being fired.
Non-Latino officers – especially veterans with much more training and experience in leadership and other relevant Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) are considered a threat to locally hired officers who bring no real life experience, leadership, nor, obviously, ethical training. I was told by a locally hired, Latino “Perfumed Prince” that everything I did prior to my CBP employment (20 years of military experience, bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a Masters Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Criminal Law) “didn’t count.”
When legitimate promotion exam stats showed the poor passing percentage of Latino hires CBP threw the test out (with the scores of those who passed) – and the “Mexican Moses” – Ernestina Morris – acting Port Director who had failed every promotion exam was made permanent Port Director.
This is the same Port Director who arbitrarily ordered inspectors to provide a copy of every Expedited Removal case file to the Mexican consulate – until it was suddenly stopped. The same Port Director, who was dating a married rancher in Mexico whose ranch was under surveillance (or being protected) by the Federales for storing and transshipping drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel.
I was in the process of deporting an illegal alien – a well dressed, articulate, business man- late one evening when my supervisor told me I had a phone call from a congressman. The congressman identified himself as a “representative of the State of New Mexico and was calling from his office in D.C. His area code was from D.C. He demanded to know why I was harassing one of his constituents. I asked him how an illegal alien – a citizen of Mexico could be one of his constituents. “CLICK!” Dial tone.
My sources tell me the drug cartel in Juarez (whose leaders probably live in palatial homes in El Paso like they do in Douglas, AZ) has large roadside signs in El Paso warning American law enforcement officers “Plata o Ploma!” (“Silver or Lead!”).
But that threat is only half the problem of corruption at the border. The other half is disloyalty by a large number of CBP employees who a. don’t think there should be a border; b. believe CBP is a “service” to expedite every foreign national into the U.S; c. feel it is “every person’s right to enter the United States (meaning fellow Hispanics).
I have personally been told all three by CBP officers wearing a badge and a shoulder patch that says “America’s First Line of Defense.”
Shortly after the polygraph sweep was terminated, CBP contracted with Defense Investigative Services to conduct background checks on all CBP officers.
Over half of Latino CBP officers had registered as Mexican citizens ( a violation of their oath of employment) at a time when the Mexican president was conducting a massive campaign to register Latino US citizens residing in the United States to vote in Mexican elections. To my knowledge, none were fired or even disciplined – heck, they were probably promoted and are now Port Directors.
The motivation for registering as a Mexican citizen was not cultural. Mexican politics are infamous for paying for votes.
CBP has thousands of honest, hard working line officers. But due to the cultural inclinations, the cross-border familial ties, and the massive monetary temptations there are too many corrupt officers. But the larger problem is a management infested with a mentality contradictory to their mission. Each Port of Entry is considered the Port Director’s own fiefdom to interpret federal immigration law as she (almost all Port Directors are female) wishes.
CBP management can be transferred at will by Headquarters for the benefit of the Department (and the security of the United States) – but never are.
See: Corruption in CBP: A Retrospective Study of Cases, Publication Number 3285-0723
See also: 10 Years on the Line: My War on the Border on Amazonbooks.com. and “Treason in Texas!” this site dated 12,27,2021
