Border Patrol — how unionism can go wrong over smuggling

President Bush got bashed, rightfully in many ways, in 2002 for trying to emasculate various unions that represented agencies that were folded into the Department of Homeland Security.

But, even before that point, the Border Patrol’s Union, already back in Clinton Administration times, was strongly resistant to the idea of mandatory rotation from post to post.

Well, this story about the prevalence of BP agents either taking bribes to let smugglers across the border, or even engaging in smuggling themselves, show it’s time, past time even, to revisit the issue.

James Tomsheck, the assistant commissioner for internal affairs at Customs and Border Protection, said the agency was “deeply concerned” that smugglers were sending operatives to take jobs with the Border Patrol and at ports.

Especially given that Texas has the longest border with Mexico of the four border states, and has the most documented problems with BP corruption, this is a must issue. And, it isn’t a Democrats vs. Republicans issue.

An old Dallas Morning News story provides more Texas-level details.

Some other things to note.

One is that the illegals are coming from as far south as Brazil.

Two is that guns and drugs are joining the human cargo as among items being smuggled.

Three, contrary to Tomsheck, it’s not just new agents turning bad cop, either. Several of the people in the story had a decade or more of experience, with the Border Patrol or elsewhere in Customs and Borders Protection.

That all said, I can understand the resistance of BP agents to being rotated to new patrol sectors. But, I’m not suggesting a one- or two-year rotation. Every three or four years should be good as part of working to keep bad agents from developing bad connections. Perhaps unannounced, “snap” temporary transfers could be used, too.