Ask yourself- why doesn’t the local car dealership have 42 sales people on staff?
Why doesn’t the local real estate office expand to a 50 agent facility?
Imagine a school district wanting to expand staff and facilities and, at the same time- suppressing public information Re: the number of students enrolled, teachers on staff and number of students graduated in the past 36 months.
“…the Border Patrol has refused to divulge the number of agents in Port Angeles…”
Still no justification provided by elected officials or the US Border Patrol for an upgrade in staff requiring a new $11.9 million, 50 agent facility at Port Angeles- an area sharing no land border with Canada.
The US Border Patrol at Port Angeles has stopped 2 people from illegally crossing into the US. That incident took place more than 2 years ago.
May 31st, 2010-
Two amphibious Canadian marijuana smugglers are captured on a remote Olympic Peninsula beach by the US Border Patrol.
More than a year has passed:
Port Angeles Border Patrol whistleblower- Investigation status unknown.
Oct 2012- Port Angeles Border Patrol- whistleblower update:
GAP Praises Successful OSC Mediation for Border Patrol Whistleblower
“The whistleblower, Christian Sanchez, was stationed at a Port Angeles, Washington office staffed by over 40 employees – an office where there was insufficient work for the prior crew of four.”
Zero reporting on the following questions:
Are fraudulent overtime claims the norm at Port Angeles?
Does the practice still continue?
How long did it go on?
Our Washington State Patrol opened a criminal investigation in a similar case:
Ex-trooper charged with official misconduct for overtime pay
Secret arrest statistics and the denied FOIA request.
March 2011- Local paper submits FOIA request for USBP arrest numbers to justify new 50 agent station. FOIA request denied. FOIA appeal denied.
Local law enforcement agencies set the example in sharing public information with the public.
Compare the Port Angeles Police Dept. to the US Border Patrol.
What is a Border Patrol sector?
The civic units of measure familiar to Americans are states, cities and counties.
The US Border Patrol is broken up into sectors- which are arbitrary federal zones- confusing by design.
The State of Washington is served by two Border Patrol sectors- Spokane Sector & Blaine Sector.
Look for reports that provide USBP arrest statistics for sectors- not stations. This reporting format makes it difficult for the public to understand what is going on at the Port Angeles US Border Patrol station.
Don’t look for local journalists to question this manipulation of public information.
The people of Erie, PA did not have to submit a FOIA request to find out what justified the expansion of their local Border Patrol station-
No public information/security conflict at the U.S. Border Patrol station (not sector) in Erie, PA.
Erie Station- similar to Port Angeles in that it is separated from Canada by water.
Note: reports of the expansion at Erie include numbers of arrests out of that station:
“The Border Patrol operations in Erie, nearly six years old, include more than 30 agents who apprehended 588 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2008-09.”
“The Border Patrol’s apprehensions in the Erie area have grown steadily, from 332 in fiscal 2006-2007 to 588 in 2008-09 to 305 so far in 2009-10.
Of those apprehended so far this fiscal year, 136 were individuals found by other law enforcement agencies and turned over to the Border Patrol.”
Discussions on local news web sites reveal an almost fetish-like concern Re: the arrest of illegal aliens- “WHAT PART OF ILLEGAL DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND???”, etc.
Very little in the way of acknowledging that people are not illegally entering the US via the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The US Border Patrol has had success in capturing Central American immigrants in Forks- 1500 miles north of where they likely crossed into the US.
These arrests often involve mysterious traffic stops conducted by federal agents (see Olympic Peninsula Border Patrol timeline- bottom of page).
Don’t look for local reporters to ask why the vehicle was stopped.
If local arrests are not connected in any way to the US/Canada border- maybe every Port Angeles sized town- all across America- should have its own 50 agent US Border Patrol station?
Suspicionless checkpoints ended on the Olympic Peninsula in 2008. Suspicionless bus boardings ended in November, 2011.
If Olympic Peninsula USBP operations are being downsized, why have local USBP personnel numbers been upsized?
How are terrorists kept out while heroin comes in?
Even more secretive-
Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine agents, stationed in Port Angeles
Has any arrest ever been made by this unit?
Twice in recent months- a CBP helicopter has assisted in tracking a local fugitive:
Sheriff: Man who gunned down sex offenders said it ‘had to be done’
UPDATE: Manhunt west of Port Angeles seeks man after shot fired this morning
Word of US Border Patrol involvement in the above incidents was immediately released to the public.
Why is the public told that USBP arrest statistics involving the US/Canada border must remain secret?
When was the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol used a helicopter to successfully prevent any person from illegally entering the US?
How many helicopters are in the CBP unit that serves Port Angeles?
The US Navy provides similar info Re: submarines assigned in Kitsap County.
Show of hands- how many smaller government folks are OK with having the Border Patrol around to act as a federal reserve force for local law enforcement agencies?
Federal agents on hand to work local boat race event-
“They’re able to get pretty much anywhere on the grounds that were are not,” Roggenbuck said.”
Federal agents on hand to investigate drug stash at storage unit
Discuss on facebook
Olympic Peninsula Border Patrol timeline here.
Possibly of interest:
Photo- Mystery Bay scene