more on the INS and "welcome to the USA"

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

From: "Meeks, Brock (MSNBCi)" <Brock.Meeks () MSNBC COM>

Dave,
I've been covering the "homeland security beat" for more than a year now 
and would like to comment on situations outlined below.
First, there is no longer an entity called an "INS agent."  Indeed, the INS 
itself no longer exists.  The former INS and former U.S. Customs Department 
were merged into the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division of the 
Department of Homeland Security.
Former INS agents and former Customs agents have been "merged" into one 
"superagent" now called the CBP Officer.  "Legacy" Customs agents receive 
cross-training to perform traditional INS functions.  The cross-training 
for existing former Customs agents is little more than a week long and a 
couple of interactive CD's to review.
All new hires are now being trained as CBP Officers to include both 
immigration and customs type skills.
It's very possible that "legacy" Customs agents, pressed into duty as "INS 
agents" are at the heart of some of the instances below and are doing it 
out of being overly cautious.  Reason:  these former Customs agents have 
been told flat out that any error is immediate cause for termination.  I've 
been told this by several legacy customs agents and legacy INS agents that 
don't like what has happened either.
Further, legacy customs and legacy INS agents don't have access to the same 
databases to check for possible terrorists or persons that shouldn't be 
allowed into the U.S.
The entire system now, is hampered by an abundance of hyper-vigilance and 
fear of being fired for the smallest mistake.
--Brock
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