Burning Atlanta

This comes as no surprise. Nobody's happy with government management of our borders.  But when there's a loud and clear message coming from the troops then management should pay attention and not simply try to dismiss it.

NO Confidence

WASHINGTON — Relations between Border Patrol management and rank-and-file agents appear unusually tense, with many agents feeling estranged from their leadership and angered by President Bush's push for what they view as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The rift widened this week when leaders of the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing 11,000 of the force's 13,000 agents, made public its unanimous vote of no-confidence in Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar.

Local union representatives, rather than their national leaders, pressed for the vote at their recent convention in Corpus Christi, council Executive Vice President Richard Pierce said. More than 100 of the local leaders, most of them senior agents, participated.

"There is so much going on in this outfit. The morale is so shot because of all the policies the administration has instituted," said Pierce, a retired agent.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is standing by his deputy, Aguilar, saying he is doing an excellent job.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the top Republican on the Senate immigration subcommittee, also defended Aguilar.