Behan said he will ask Bates how many agents staff the Port Angeles station and may ask for arrest data but said information may not be made public — if he even gets answers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, has refused a Freedom of Information Act request for current agent staffing numbers and arrest data from the Peninsula Daily News, citing national security concerns.
The agent staff grew from four in 2006 to 24 by April 29, 2009. Two weeks ago, Border Patrol Agent Christian Sanchez of Port Angeles said there are more than 40 agents stationed in Port Angeles.
The town of Port Angles Washington is crawling with Border Patrol Agents when there were none a few years back. This stems from Department of Homeland Security beefing up the borders from would be attackers from Canada. The locals have to deal with 40 of these guys who drive around immune from local law enforcement. They zoom up and down the area, speeding, and essentially doing nothing.
They are doing nothing because Port Angeles and the entire Olympic Peninsula is buffered from Canada by 20 miles of ocean! Yes, there is no actual border to patrol. The Coast Guard folks patrol the border 10 miles out to sea. The only way in is via a 2 hour boat ride that arrives at one dock which is already policed by the Customs and Immigration folks.
This sort of resource squandering is rampant while Congress debates higher debt ceiling so more money can be borrowed to waste on programs like this. It’s ridiculous.
#30, gay Islamic lumberjacks
FTW
#30 LL
The gay Islamic lumberjacks was fairly accurate. However, the bagpipes comment was below the belt.
Been to Port Angeles on vacation once for a few days. Very nice town, fun watching the Coast Guard choppers coming and going, and once saw a US submarine (major base at Bangor) transiting the area through binoculars.
No terrorists seen, but then, it was before 9/11.
The Russians are come’n the Russians are coming.
#32: I blame Photoshop.
I seem to remember (I live in the area) that this is the point of entry where they caught a REAL terrorist – was gonna blow up the space needle – with a car full of boom. Of course that was before the Bush people, concerned with shrinking the size of govt. created the DHS. Maybe you guys are right and less really is more?
1. Why aren’t all the cops on the SOUTHERN border?
2. Why are all federal cops such DICKS?
3. Why do all federal agencies always drive BRAND NEW vehicles?
4. Why is this still called the “land of the free”?
5. Why am I surprised?
#38: Port Angeles, Dec. 14, 1999, Algerian Ahmed Ressam took a ferry from Victoria, B.C., to Port Angeles, Wash., with more than 100 pounds of explosives stashed in the wheelbed of the trunk of his rental car. His accomplice, Abdelmajid Dahoumane, did not travel with him.
At Victoria, U.S. immigration pre-clearance agents were suspicious of Ressam. They made him open his trunk, but saw nothing. He presented his fake Canadian passport, and the computer check turned up no previous convictions or warrants in the name of Benni Noris. Ressam drove the car, with its concealed bomb, onto the ferry heading for Washington state.
Upon his arrival at Port Angeles, U.S. Customs inspector Diana Dean decided to have a secondary Customs search of Ressam’s car performed, after she became suspicious of his hesitant answers to her questions. Agents searched the car, and discovered the explosive materials. Ressam tried to run away. He was caught and arrested.
The entire point of this “ah the waste that the govt. generates” post is undercut by the fact that this tiny little border station is home to one of the very few shining border patrol success stories for stopping major terrorism on US soil. Google “millennium plot”.
That said, the point is well taken about wasted resources. Its just that not even acknowledging the giant anti-terrorist success of this particular border crossing severely undercut the original argument.
Brilliant. The existing system worked, so let’s add 24 new agents.
I sure feel better now.
What a waste of time and money having the Border Patrol harassing people going to work or school, etc. with their “illegal” checkpoints and running around like Nazis. Canada is just like the US, and more civil in many ways. Who are we being protected from, Canadians? This story is only the tip of the window dressing of DHS protection on the SAFE Northern Border. I sure don’t feel better now. All I see is more of my freedoms taken away bit by bit since 9/11. This story is so right on target it hurts!
#34 What’s the difference between terrorists and bagpipers? Terrorists have sympathizers.
#28–Animby==I know you are oxymoronically and at some level self loathing by being a physician AND a tax cutting conservative at the same time BUT I never thought you would be actively self destructive as well. As a Man of Science you should have observed by now how destructive to a nominally healthy psyche reading DU before consuming massive amounts of caffeine can be. Maybe this mornings experience and this underlining will be your final lesson? PULL UP LUKE: before its too late.
I will also give you a pass for living in the weeds for too long. You are reading Oh No too literally. All Pukes speak in code. When they say NO NEW TAXES they are following the dogma of “starve the beast.” The notion is that government will deficit spend no matter the revenue so it is better to cut revenue in an effort to reduce spending. The simpletons can’t even follow the precepts of their own dogma though: the government deficit spends regardless of the revenue. So, as you have evidenced yourself on this blog, the simple and sad fact is that when you reduce revenue and indeed in fact do starve the beast, you are not reducing the deficit, you are only deflating the value of money and/or eventually requiring social safety net programs (like public health services) to be cut. We see that now.
Silly Pukes. Silly Jungle Doctors.
RANK YOUR PRIORITIES, understand the consequences, make your choices.
Sadly, “the beast” in the dogma is our society: something we are all a part of. The dogma is then straight out of Blazzing Saddles: “Back away, or I’m going to shoot myself!” Ha, ha. Starve the Beast indeed. Stop taxing the rich or I’ll cut my own benefits.
Stoopid Hoomans. Too many love bagpipe music.
WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE STUPIDEST WASTE OF COMMENT SPACE I HAVE EVER SEEN…IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE YOUR POINT A GOOD START WOULD BE ACTUALLY SPEAKING OUT OF YOUR BUBBLE …TRY USING THE ACTUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTEAD OF SPEAKING IN CODE , IF YOU DO THAT THERE WOULD BE ALOT MORE PEOPLE WHO WOULD ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAY AND MAY BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY RESPOND IN THE CHARACTER OF THE STORY AND NOT WASTE THERE TIME DECIPHERING YOUR GIBBERISH.
STOP SHOUTING!!
HAHAHA .BROKEN CAP’S LOCK …SORRY . BUT IF THATS ALL YOU GOT FROM THE COMMENT YOU NEED TO FIND A HOBBY.
I guess you could say one of my hobbies is being an editor on this blog. Which is why I saw your comment while deleting spam on the full blog comment page since the post you commented on is over a year old.
USUALLY WHEN IM LOOKING AT A CURRENT EVENT I WADE THROUGH LINKS THAT MAY CORROSPOND WITH THE SUBJECT AND SHOW A HISTORY. I DONT USUALLY RESPOND UNLESS IT TOUCH’S A NERVE …BUT WHAT I FIND PARTICULARY INTERESTING IS THAT ONE WOULD TAKE AN UPPER CASE LETTER AND DEPICT IT AS YELLING ..THATS A THING I’LL NEVER GET …
Animby 2012
What Harm Could a Governor of Texas Do?
Port Angeles at least goes to the mainland USA. Its all the security they have for Point Roberts that has only one access point ( thats to Canada) that you really have to wonder about..
We need another corndog picture. Mitt Romney this time and preferably with the eyes rolled back like Michelle’s.
Other than wasting a lot of money we don’t have the second issue is they are needed on the border with Mexico.
# 49 ReadyKilowatt said, “The DHS has morphed into a jobs program.”
“Most Federal agencies have morphed into a jobs program.” Fixed. Happy to help.
How to create PVA’s accounts http://ow.ly/69GLq?e=33l49