I recently interview a federal agent of Homeland Security whose identity cannot be shared for safety reason. This agent has been with Homeland Security since May of 2003 and rank is a government service or GS 11.
These are some of the questions I asked
Do you feel that you were trained properly to do your job?
- “Yes, we get daily publication of new rules and regulations.”
What are some of the problems you see with homeland security?
- We are under staff immensely, which causes many of us to work hours of overtime daily which can cause us to make more mistakes but it has a greater toll on our bodies too
- It can also strain family relationships
- The equipment isn’t up to date. Like printers, computers and radios
- Not everyone has radio
- Which is a big problem because since communications is a big part of our job
- The computer are always running, they never have a day off, their always being used
- The same can be said for shredder and copiers. They don’t get a break
- If the computer are broken during the graveyard shift 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. your out of luck, you just have to used another one until I.T. comes in the mourning
- I.T. only works 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. not late at night.
- They say I.T. can’t work at night since its not in the budget
- Network is slow because everyone is one it. More computers. Fraud section and warrant people.
What changes would you make to improve homeland security?
- Higher more people
- Starting pay more than $30,000
- More funding for equipment
- Process to be hirer takes to long
- Three months of training in a different state, with screening along the way. Background check take to long as well
- It can take up to a year on average to be hired
- It took me seven months and that was annoying
- But their trying to make the screening process quicker by letting people go to training without background checks but if something bad comes out you can lose that job
- This is also a bad idea because someone can see how we would
- Make more interview for the screen process, since these are people who are protecting our national broader from people who want to blow it up
- Communication between the ranks. From high to low. Making suggestion to our supervisor, doesn’t really change anything because that’s the way things just are
- Make a complete background and but also make the screening process quicker
More up to date training for new developing issues that arise
Being Hispanic, do you feel bad sending Mexicans back even thou you’re an immigrant as well?
- “I feel bad for people who come to this county wanting to make a good life however, in feeling bad I am just following the laws of United States. I’m an enforcer. That’s my job, I took a job to serve and protect.”
Are you proud of your job?
- Yes, that I served my government not just once but twice.
Is their anything else you would like to say?
- Do you know it’s harder for a Mexican citizen to get legal status in the United States than an Iraq citizen that claims asylum. “I don’t like it, but thats the law.” One main reasons is because we fuck up their county so we own them something
- Every state along the broader has a port of entrance, homelands officers at airports like international JFK
- Homeland born in 2001 after 9/11
- Immigration used to fall under the department of justice
- Homeland security employed about 183,000 workers in April of 2006-making it one of the largest federal agencies.
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