More corruption seen among border agents
More corruption seen among border agents
Web Posted: 11/28/2006 12:05 AM CST
Angela Kocherga
KENS 5 Border Bureau Chief
Agents fighting crime on the border are dealing with increasing corruption in their ranks. Among those facing charges are immigration, customs and border patrol agents.
All were caught working for smugglers in El Paso who are supposed to protect our border are increasingly taking bribes instead.
They're the agents who guard our borders and decide who and what gets past nearby checkpoints leading to highways that double as lucrative smuggling routes.
It was at a checkpoint in far West Texas that four agents who were supposed to protect the border switched sides.
"We're disappointed when any agent violates the trust that was given upon them. We will investigate any allegations of misconduct," said Asst. Chief Patrol Agent Robert Fuentes.
The men were convicted last year for waving vehicles filled with illegal immigrants and drugs through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint in exchange for bribes.
Corruption has existed as long as there has been a border, but there's been a spike in cases since 9/11.
"As it becomes more difficult to cross the border, it becomes more important to the drug type organizations and alien smuggling organizations to try to recruit officers," said FBI supervisory agent Jay Abbott.
In the few couple years, dozens of customs, immigration and border patrol agents have been caught working for smugglers, including 10 in Texas.
The bribes from traffickers can easily top an average agent's salary about $50,000 a year.
Criminal organizations also know how to exploit close-knit border communities. Places where it's not unusual for agents and smugglers to grow up together or for extended families to include relatives on both sides of the border — and the law.
The Sierra Blanca checkpoint case involved two brothers: one worked for the border patrol and the other for smugglers.
Critics, including members of the Border Patrol Agents Union, are calling for more thorough background checks as the agency beefs up it's forces.
The border patrol academy is under a presidential mandate to graduate 6,000 new agents in the next couple of years.
We've learned traffickers are hoping to use this to their advantage.
"Some of these drug organizations which are very sophisticated are actually placing people into the border patrol or into ICE in order to assist their efforts," Abbott said.
ICE is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, but new recruits are not the only concern. Veterans are also vulnerable.
Santiago Efrain Valle was a supervisor at the immigration detention center in El Paso when he was arrested in March.
According to court documents, he took a bribe of $20,000 to release an immigration agent from Mexico in custody for smuggling people across the border.
Portions © 2006 KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News.
All rights reserved.
Web Posted: 11/28/2006 12:05 AM CST
Angela Kocherga
KENS 5 Border Bureau Chief
Agents fighting crime on the border are dealing with increasing corruption in their ranks. Among those facing charges are immigration, customs and border patrol agents.
All were caught working for smugglers in El Paso who are supposed to protect our border are increasingly taking bribes instead.
They're the agents who guard our borders and decide who and what gets past nearby checkpoints leading to highways that double as lucrative smuggling routes.
It was at a checkpoint in far West Texas that four agents who were supposed to protect the border switched sides.
"We're disappointed when any agent violates the trust that was given upon them. We will investigate any allegations of misconduct," said Asst. Chief Patrol Agent Robert Fuentes.
The men were convicted last year for waving vehicles filled with illegal immigrants and drugs through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint in exchange for bribes.
Corruption has existed as long as there has been a border, but there's been a spike in cases since 9/11.
"As it becomes more difficult to cross the border, it becomes more important to the drug type organizations and alien smuggling organizations to try to recruit officers," said FBI supervisory agent Jay Abbott.
In the few couple years, dozens of customs, immigration and border patrol agents have been caught working for smugglers, including 10 in Texas.
The bribes from traffickers can easily top an average agent's salary about $50,000 a year.
Criminal organizations also know how to exploit close-knit border communities. Places where it's not unusual for agents and smugglers to grow up together or for extended families to include relatives on both sides of the border — and the law.
The Sierra Blanca checkpoint case involved two brothers: one worked for the border patrol and the other for smugglers.
Critics, including members of the Border Patrol Agents Union, are calling for more thorough background checks as the agency beefs up it's forces.
The border patrol academy is under a presidential mandate to graduate 6,000 new agents in the next couple of years.
We've learned traffickers are hoping to use this to their advantage.
"Some of these drug organizations which are very sophisticated are actually placing people into the border patrol or into ICE in order to assist their efforts," Abbott said.
ICE is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, but new recruits are not the only concern. Veterans are also vulnerable.
Santiago Efrain Valle was a supervisor at the immigration detention center in El Paso when he was arrested in March.
According to court documents, he took a bribe of $20,000 to release an immigration agent from Mexico in custody for smuggling people across the border.
Portions © 2006 KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News.
All rights reserved.
posted by Walking Contradiction at 12/17/2006 10:04:00 PM
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