Argument Against Border Patrol

Being a U.S. citizen thirty-nine years old or younger with a valid driver’s license, no prior criminal convictions, minimum vision and hearing functionality, and the ability to perform strenuous physical activity—these are just a few of the qualifications that border patrol officers must possess as those responsible for guarding the border—the imaginary line that separates the United States from the neighboring countries (“Overview). The mission statement of this federal agency is “to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States” and yet to this day the inflow of illegal immigrants at the south western border continues to pose a problem, one that these officers have not been able to contain (“Overview”). Thousands of

illegal immigrants cross from Mexico into the U. S. each year, which leaves the Border Patrol far from claiming a complete victory despite the hundreds of apprehensions that they conduct throughout the day. The pressure to curb illegal immigration especially increased after the 9/11 attack. In hopes to increase the efficiency of the agency the government has militarized the border, placing technologically advanced surveillance and fire power along the 1,933 mile-long perimeter through various towns and deserts alike. In addition to these measures a large number of officers were rapidly hired despite the agency’s claims that it holds its hiring procedures to high standards. Because of the failures that the Border Patrol (BP) experienced in the past, a sudden expansion of BP personnel was conducted in 2006 to tighten the security of the border, which in turn has caused the agency to abandon the integrity of the hiring process, and seek solace in numbers and brutality of force rather than proper training and moral practices.
The Border Patrol agents are part of the federal system; they serve the country by protecting the border from those who wish to breach it.

“Together with other law enforcement officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work—facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband” (Overview). Or so their official website states, but evidence would suggest that they are part of a corrupt and violent system; they have dehumanized themselves due to their existence as an extension of government regulations; they have been placed at the border to guard it from the illegals who try to break through to the American side and some abuse that power. The government pays extremely generous sums for their operations, but their effectiveness and moral practices have been questionable. The victims—those apprehended during their journey across the border and the families of those killed by the officers (among many others)—claim that the BP exists outside of the law, but it is also true that not all officers violate human rights, not all go rogue. What determines who becomes the conductor of power is the hiring process as well as the honesty and diligence of the administrative personnel. The qualifications to become a border patrol officer (as listed on the official PB website) are

simple:
• Candidates must take and pass the CBP Border Patrol entrance examination, which consists of a three-part test that covers logical reasoning skill; the Spanish language or, if they don't speak Spanish, an artificial language test that predicts your ability to learn Spanish; and an assessment of job-related experiences and achievements.
• Candidates must pass a urine drug test and meet specific medical and physical requirements.
• Candidates must appear before an oral interview panel and demonstrate that he/she possess the abilities and other characteristics important to Border Patrol Agent positions. Among these are interpersonal skills, judgment, and problem-solving abilities.
An applicant is not required to have a college degree of any sort in order to qualify for the lowest level position, in fact, no college education is necessary as long as the previously listed qualifications are met, though chances of being selected do decrease with lower level of education (“Basic Qualifications”).
However, in 2008 a new qualification had been implemented—a polygraph test—(in addition to the already existing initial screening and the background investigation of prospective employees).

A writer for “The Daily Beast,” Andrew Becker reports that this additional step came “at the tail end of a massive hiring surge that began in 2006 and eventually added 17,000 employees, helping to make the agency the largest law enforcement operation in the country.” This arouses great unease and concern about “the thousands of employees Customs and Border Protection has hired over the past six years before it began mandatory polygraph tests for all applicants” (Becker). The records—official summaries of more than 200 polygraph admissions—contain many very disturbing testimonies of applicants admitting to drug smuggling and even murder (Becker). One confession, according to the Customs and Border Protection summary, consisted of an applicant admitting to having “‘no independent recollection of the events that resulted in a blood-doused kitchen and was uncertain if he committed any crime during his three-hour black out’”(Becker). The fact that thousands have been hired without the screening cannot be ignored. It is this negligence that is the cause of agents such as Justin Tackett—an officer who “had a dubious work history long before joining Border Patrol”—being able to find employment within the Border Patrol agency (Peter.) Tackett’s employment history is such as follows: “[he] joined

the Imperial County Sheriff’s Department in the summer of 2000. In three and a half years in the department, he racked up at least five reprimands and suspensions for misconduct….In December 2003, Tackett resigned before the sheriff’s department could fire him” and in 2006 got the job with the Border Patrol (Peter). That was the same year the agency received orders to double its numbers; two whole years before the polygraph program was initiated. To make matters worse, Tackett’s misdemeanors do not end there. On September 28, 2012 Tackett shot and killed Valeria "Munique" Tachiquin Alvarado— a U.S. citizen and mother of five. The details of the tragedy were covered by 10 News: Tackett said she tried to run him down in her car as she fled from a drug raid. Witnesses said he stepped in front of the car and another BP agent “‘shattered her car window’ causing glass to fly at her face and body,” thus causing her to panic and to attempt to drive away at which she did not succeed for she was promptly shot nine times and killed (Mecija). A wrongful death lawsuit has been opened against Tackett and part of the blame has been shifted on the employee of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Investigations Service, Stephanie Shavatt. It is this agency that was “‘responsible for screening Tackett's background and who cleared him for hiring as a Border Patrol Agent’” (Mecija). “‘If Stephanie had done her job, Justin Tackett would not have been there. Stephanie put the gun in the hand of Justin Tackett,’ said Gene Iredale, the attorney representing Tachiquin's family” (Mecija). This makes one wonder how many other agents such as Tackett have been hired by the BP and are now on duty, out there somewhere along the border, waiting for yet another immigrant to become their victim.