The immigration and customs application held a hiring fair last month, Utah, that he drew Hundreds of employment applicants, partly with signing bonds of up to $ 50,000 and salaries from $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 a year. This follows recruitment events in Arlington, Texas, in August and Chantilly, Virginia ,,,, In June. Despite surveys that show that most Americans I don't like it How the agency is doing its job, these exhibitions were quite popular. “This is a very desired career”, an ICE official He said to journalists In the Texas event. “Many people want to do this job.”
That seems to be true, which makes recent changes in ICE hiring and recruitment practices. Cash Ajava, the agency is Ramping the hiring while reducing employment standards. ICE is using slogans and controversial images to attract new recruits. In its hurry to expand, ICE is placing immigrants, citizens and their own agents in danger.
According to the terms of a great law of Big Beauty bill that the president signed in July, Congress He has given ice Additional $ 75 billion in funds. The agency wants hire at least 10,000 new agents while the administration seeks to fulfill its promise of Deporting one million immigrants One year.
To meet this objective, ICE is going down the hiring standards. Ice agents can now be as young as 18And there is no longer a Age lid for new hiring. The agency also has Cut training time For recruits of 13 Eight weeksby Spanish lessons reductionFirearms and class hours. Work for ice does not require A High School Diplomaa military experience or any experience of application of the law. An ice agent aspiring only a history verification, meet the physical and medical requirements and complete the abbreviated training course.
In contrast, many Local Police and Sheriff departments Have more strict hiring requirements. The Los Angeles Police Department request Their applicants have a secondary school diploma, to complete six months of training and be 21 years old at the time of graduation of the Police Academy.
The lowest ICE standards are alarming, since agents have the power to make decisions with consequences that alter life. A teenager who previously worked in a retail store or office workers bored with his daily routine could soon be in the streets of Los Angeles, carry a weapon and chase anyone who believe they could be a migrant. The new ICE agents can be placed in volatile situations without sufficient experience or judgment to make solid decisions. Immigrants – O. Anyone who looks like one – It may be at risk that rookie ice hiring that violates their constitutional and civil rights.
Unfortunately, we have I've been here before. Between 2006 and 2009, the border patrol also increased rapidly. The contracting and training requirements were relieved, with some agents He hastened to train Before the background verifications are completed. This resulted in the members of the drug poster were hired, corruption and a peak in arrested agents For misconduct. With its rapid continuous expansion, ice is prepared to repeat The same type of errors.
The ICE recruitment campaign is also problematic. “The United States has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need to get them out,” one of those appeal, that plays with false notions of “invasion” and crime of immigrants. In your official X account, National Security Use uncle Sam imagesas if joining the ice were similar to a military mobilization. In a publicationThe agency asks: “Do you want to deport illegal with your absolute children?” In another, Ask“How, American man?” This meme It seems to refer“Western man?” – A 1978 book by a declared white supremacist.
Ice slogans urge employment applicants to “defend their country” and “protect the homeland.” But such language smells of propaganda, non -professionalism. Former ICE officials are legitimately concerned that such tactics can draw the Incorrect recruit type. Instead of attracting qualified applicants who wish to serve in the application of federal law, ICE may be appealing to people with antipathy towards immigrants, or who see themselves helping to defend the United States from demographic changes.
ICE performs a vital function for the government, with agents that assume great personal risk and responsibility. However, current ICE practices are far from being ideal, with well documented instances of agents who use excessive and committed strength in physical and verbal abuse of alleged undocumented immigrants. So this is not the time for ice to the lowest standards. The last hiring and recruitment efforts of the agency will not reinforce the image or effectiveness of the agency. Instead, they raise serious questions about the preparation, capacity and suitability of the new agents for this line of work. In a nutshell, do we really want adolescents to participate in ice raids?
To remedy the situation, the ice must reduce the speed and properly train the incoming agents. The minimum age must be restored to 21. The most complete instruction in the Spanish language must be restored to the curricula. Otherwise, fast tracking employees will be sent without preparation in the communities that are already angry and fearfulwhich is potentially dangerous for all involved.
The ICE hiring wave is reckless and irresponsible. As a matter of public security, the application of immigration should not be an entry level work.
Raul A. Reyes is an immigration and taxpayer lawyer to the opinion of NBC Latino and CNN. UNKNOWN: @Raularryes; Instagram: @raulareyes1
