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Bryan Gonzalez Fired For Views On Drug Legalization

March 7, 2012 by · 1 Comment 

Bryan Gonzalez Fired For Views On Drug Legalization, In September of 2009, border patrol agent Bryan Gonzalez was fired for expressing his views on drug legalization to a fellow agent. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has joined Gonzalez in filing a lawsuit on First Amendment grounds seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Gonzalez, 26, alleges that he was dismissed from his job in El Paso, Texas after saying in casual conversation that legalizing and regulating drugs would help stop cartel violence along the southern border with Mexico. His letter of termination stated his comments were “contrary to the core characteristics of Border Patrol Agents, which are patriotism, dedication, and esprit de corps.”

Gonzalez told his colleague Shawn Montoya in April of 2009 that “legalization of drugs would end the drug war and related violence in Mexico,” adding that “the drug problems in America were due to American demand for drugs supplied by Mexico,” according to the complaint he and the ACLU-NM filed in federal court.

Montoya reported the conversation to officials, sparking an internal-affairs investigation. Gonzalez was dismissed just one month before the end of his two-year probationary period, despite consistently-excellent performance reviews. He served from October 2007 until September 2009.

Terry Nelson, a former U.S. border patrol agent who is now a board member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said Gonzalez is merely stating what many know to be true.

“There’s no doubt that the so-called ‘war on drugs’ is a gigantic failure and that it causes violence, hurts our economy and forces dedicated law enforcers to risk their lives in the line of fire for a lost cause,” said Nelson, who served as a border patrol agent for eight years in El Paso. “But whether you think we should legalize drugs or not, you have to support the right of brave law enforcers like Bryan Gonzalez to exercise the First Amendment and share their views on policies that impact them on a daily basis.”

The Gonzalez-ACLU lawsuit, first filed on Jan. 20, has some precedent.

In January 2009, Jonathan Wender, one of LEAP’s pro-legalization advocates, successfully sued the Mountlake Terrace, Wash. police department after being fired under similar circumstances. The department settled, reinstating Wender and giving him back pay and full benefits, according to LEAP reports.

“This is a free speech issue,” Nelson told HuffPost in an interview. “The Constitution guarantees us free speech — I don’t think you should have to give that up to wear a badge.”

That chilling effect has showed up in other places too.

During California’s gubernatorial debates in October, GOP candidate Meg Whitman, when asked about her position on legalizing marijuana under the state’s Proposition 19, said: “Every single law enforcement official in this entire state is against Proposition 19.”

“She’s absolutely wrong,” former San Jose Chief of Police Joseph McNamara told HuffPost in an interview at the time. “A lot of police officers both retired and on duty are in favor of passing it because they realize that the ‘war on drugs’ has failed and is going to fail.”

What seemed clearer, at least, was that California’s active-duty police officers feel unable to speak up in favor of legalizing marijuana for fear of losing their jobs. Scores of former officials signed a letter this fall saying that marijuana prohibition fuels more dangerous crime by enriching Mexican drug cartels who put guns on U.S. streets — but every member of the California police department waited until after they’d retired to sign.

“It’s difficult, there are all kinds of factors that inhibit police officers from taking a public stance,” said David Bratzer, a police officer for the Victoria Police Department in British Columbia who supports legalizing the drug. “They’re worried about career advancement, harassment from colleagues or supervisors — these are all issues that serving police officers have to consider.”

Bratzer told HuffPost that even though many law-enforcement officers will privately agree with him about legalizing marijuana, only a handful of cops have been willing to make their opinions known publicly.

Border Patrol Agent Job Description

March 7, 2012 by · Comments Off on Border Patrol Agent Job Description 

Border Patrol Agent Job Description, Education and Training College and training

Salary Average—$55,000 per year

Employment Outlook Good

Definition and Nature of the Work
Border patrol agents, who are federal law enforcement officers, make sure that laws are observed when goods or people enter the United States. They work at ports of entry and all along the border to prevent smuggling and the entrance of illegal aliens.

One of their chief duties is covert surveillance along the border, using electronic sensors, infrared scopes, low-light television systems, and aircraft. They also conduct traffic and transportation checks at ports of entry; arrest aliens who live in this country illegally; and make suggestions to the courts about immigration matters, including applications for citizenship.

Education and Training Requirements
Applicants, who must be younger than thirty-seven years of age, need either college degrees or enough education and experience to demonstrate they can make decisions and handle stressful situations. They also must pass written examinations that assess their logical reasoning and ability to speak Spanish (or their ability to learn Spanish). After passing the examinations, applicants undergo in-depth interviews that evaluate their interpersonal skills, judgment, and problem-solving abilities. Prospective agents must undergo drug tests, medical screenings, and comprehensive background checks. Applicants must also have valid driver’s licenses.

Border patrol agents work at border crossings to check the identification papers of people entering the United States from a foreign country. (© FRED GREAVES/Reuters/Corbis.)

Those who pass the examinations are required to take classes at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. During the nineteen-week training program, agents-in-training study immigration and nationality law, criminal law and statutory authority, behavioral science, Spanish, Border Patrol operations, firearm safety, and motor-vehicle operation.

Getting the Job
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web site lists job opportunities and the application requirements for each position.

Advancement Possibilities and Employment Outlook
New agents may be promoted after a probationary period lasting about six months. They may be promoted again at the end of their third year of service. Some agents advance to supervisory positions or transfer to other jobs in immigration and naturalization.

Each year between one hundred and two hundred job openings occur, depending largely on government funding for the patrol. Because the number of people entering the country illegally is increasing, opportunities for border patrol agents many increase as well.

Working Conditions
Border patrol agents often work outdoors along international borders. They may be sent on temporary assignments on short notice and be permanently reassigned to any duty location. Like all law-enforcement personnel, agents must be responsible and able to act quickly. They are required to be proficient in the use of and carry firearms. Agents work forty hours a week, usually in rotating shifts, plus overtime. Agents are subject to random drug testing.

Earnings and Benefits
Earnings depend on years of service. In 2004 the average wage for experienced agents was $55,000 per year. All agents received Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime based on the number of unscheduled hours of overtime worked each week. Almost all employees received the maximum amount, about twenty-five percent of base pay.

Where to Go for More Information
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
425 I St. NW
Washington, DC 20536
(202) 514-2000
http://www.uscis.gov

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20229
(202) 354-1000
http://www.cbp.gov

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