Political parties and personalities are not as interesting as what stays the same no matter who is elected to office.
Suspicionless checkpoints and bus boardings for your freedoms:
Dec. 17, 2019 High Country News
“The bus station is owned by the city of Spokane, which rents the land out to Greyhound and some regional bus companies. None of the buses that stop there are arriving from Canada.”
“Agents have arrested 71 people at the Spokane bus depot this year, more than twice as many as they averaged in prior years. None were “alien” smugglers or drug traffickers, as the Spokane Sector’s press office admitted in an interview.”
“They’re treating Spokane like it’s a border town, which it’s not.”
“…statistics are hard to come by. The Border Patrol’s Spokane sector doesn’t regularly publicize the arrests they make, citing “privacy” concerns.”
Is the immigration enforcement crackdown, hassling people at bus stations and requiring REAL ID at the airport at all relevant in keeping cartels from moving product into hometown, USA?
Love to see newspeople schedule an interview with the US Dept. of Homeland Security & ask:
Are passports/enhanced/Real IDs effective in keeping cartel-sourced heroin and meth out of the US?
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at the border since 2009.
In 2008, the US Border Patrol came to Jefferson County, WA and set up suspicionless checkpoints and bus boardings- away from border crossings and ports of entry.
At a local Border Patrol forum a lady asked:
“What is the penalty for not identifying oneself to federal agents at an internal, suspicionless checkpoint?”
US Border Patrol said they would call in the Sheriff when a person refused to identify themselves.
Sheriff says they will not respond to a non-emergency situation involving a person peaceably refusing to interact with federal agents.
Question about providing ID is at 0:35
Checkpoints ended here in 2008- possibly due to well-informed citizens and local protests. Looks like they weren’t vital to national security after all.
State and local law enforcement agencies do not conduct suspicionless checkpoints in Washington State.
Check your state here.
US Border Patrol, Port Angeles, WA
An upgrade in staff requiring a new, $11.9 million, 50 agent facility. Secret arrest statistics, denied FOIA requests, heroin and meth in the community, no cross-border USBP arrest in more than 9 years, fraudulent overtime claims, 1,200-horsepower interceptor boats and zero questions from the press.
Possibly of interest-
Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs personnel during Operation Macho Swagger–a ride-along to let us know what is being done to keep the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca safe from B.C. incursions: Operation Macho Swagger & Port Angeles Heroin
If you run a government operation-these are the reporters you want to see on interview day:
Why are Border Patrol arrest statistics secret at Port Angeles?
Port Angeles CBP arrest statistics are secret:
March 19, 2014 Sequim Gazette
Agent counters allegations of ‘boredom’
“In March, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Richard Sinks declined to release statistics on apprehensions or detainments made by the Port Angeles station.”
“Disclosure of the arrest statistics from the Port Angeles station would provide those interested in crossing our borders illegally with information that could aid their strategic targeting of potentially vulnerable areas along the border,” he said in an e-mail. “To maintain operational security these numbers will not be provided.”
Go and ask the FBI for Chicago bank robbery statistics. You’ll get the numbers. They won’t tell you that statistics/public records must be withheld because stats would assist bank robbers if they were shared with the public.
What other law enforcement agencies, anywhere in the US maintain secret arrest statistics?
Washington State Patrol shares DUI arrest statistics on social media here:
“Our #WSP District 8 troopers removed 1,429 impaired drivers from the roads in 2018.”
“Here is a breakdown of what it looks like in each of our 7 counties.”
Elsewhere, when CBP has something to brag about-the public is promptly notified:
Border Patrol K-9 Sniffs out Cocaine Hidden in Dashboard
Border Patrol Stops Drug Smuggler on I-8
Border Patrol Agent’s Public Safety Check Turns into Heroin Bust
More questions newspeople will not ask:
Are fraudulent overtime claims still the norm at Port Angeles?
Border Patrol whistleblower pays price for refusing overtime pay
Has Port Angeles CBP been able to intercept any inbound meth or heroin?
Even one time?
Is local CBP staffing and infrastructure at all relevant in keeping heroin and meth from entering Port Angeles, Clallam County, the Olympic Peninsula, or the Puget Sound area?
Newspeople,
Why did the Blaine Sector Weekly US Border Patrol blotter go extinct?
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made an arrest of any kind?
Any arrests connected to cross-border maritime traffic?
When local USBP staffing went from four to 42 agents, what increase in arrests and apprehensions was achieved?
Suspicionless checkpoints and bus boardings- away from border crossings and ports of entry:
Did the use of these checkpoints in Jefferson and Clallam Counties result in the seizure of any inbound heroin or meth?
What role do 1,200-horsepower Border Patrol Interceptor boats play in keeping meth and heroin away from the Puget Sound area?
2011-
2013-
Heroin epidemic gripping Port Angeles
2015-
Port Angeles residents fed up with heroin problem
2017-
“Residents who filled the Port Angeles City Council chambers and lobby Tuesday night said they were fed up with the heroin epidemic in Clallam County and asked what is being done to stop opioid abuse and what they can do to help.”
2019-
KING 5 News
“Jail staff are now using medication to help addicts detox from heroin while in custody.”
Peninsula Daily News
Clallam health official: Narcan helping to cut overdose deaths
“About half of the overdoses have been from prescription drugs, not heroin, she said.” What about the other half?
Zero questions from newspeople:
Local meth news stories here.
Local heroin news stories here.
Plenty of questions here:
Port Angeles – Post 911 CBP Spending Spree
Whidbey Island
Island County Homeland Security-funded patrol boat
Back in 2014:
Island county to purchase new patrol boat to help with Puget Sound security:
Federal grant money goes to “…gain a better grasp on cross border activity and to prevent illegal crossings.”
“Funding for the boat was issued through the Homeland Security Grant Program under Operation Stonegarden.”
Has there been any post 911 history of maritime “cross-border activity” on Whidbey Island?
Has the Island County Homeland Security-funded patrol boat been involved in any arrest or seizure related in any way to the US/Canada border?
Newspeople remain silent.
Patrol boats fail to keep bad guys from moving product into Bremerton and Port Angeles:
July 5, 2109 Kitsap Sun
Detectives seize over $900,000 worth of drugs in Bremerton bust
July 5, 2019 Peninsula Daily News
Two arrested, heroin and methamphetamine seized at Port Angeles motels
July 6, 2019 Peninsula Daily News
Sheriff’s Office: Port Angeles man arrested with more than $11,000 in narcotics
US Troops at the border, El Chapo takedown, opioid lawsuits, REAL ID, Homeland Security grant money, CBP social media posts, strict post 911 security protocols and a $40.6 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security fail to keep meth from entering the Puget Sound area:
Newspeople play along by not asking questions.
Every 12 months, the US Department of Homeland Security gets another $40 billion in taxpayer funds.
If the drug war excuse now, is that migrant surges are diverting attention away from cartel traffic-remember that heroin was a problem in US communities prior to the recent migrant surges. Heroin is still here and now meth has taken hold.
Related:
Call It What It Is – Opioid Crisis Scam Update
Lack of News Reporting Hurts Newspaper Subscriptions?
Lazy Newspeople and the Opioid Crisis
Port Angeles Drug War Covered By Press Release
Press Plays The Role of Armed Forces & Homeland Security Public Affairs Staff
Homeland Security Meth/Heroin Racket Rolls On
Federal Facial Recognition Out At The Airport
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Photo- Watching the waves over at Fort Ebey