Posted on 02/19/2012 7:34:57 AM PST by KeyLargo
ICE Long Beach shootout: As immigration cauldron boils, ICE agents buckle
The Long Beach, Calif., shooting that left one Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dead and another wounded comes as the Obama administration has moved to improve morale among embattled ICE agents.
By Patrik Jonsson, Staff writer / February 18, 2012
ATLANTA
The internecine shootout that ended with one Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dead and another critically wounded in Long Beach, Calif., on Thursday comes on the heels of an Obama administration effort to relieve dysfunction and morale problems within a frontline agency tasked with enforcing the nation's border laws.
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Border Control and Customs Immigration Illegal Immigration and Deportation
The shootings came during an apparent counseling session between ICE supervisor Kevin Kozak and a lower-ranking supervisor, Agent Esequiel “Zeke” Garcia, where a third agent was in the room as a witness. During the hearing, Mr. Garcia allegedly drew his service weapon and shot Mr. Kozak six times. The third agent drew his weapon and killed Garcia.
ICE Director John Morton flew to Long Beach Friday to meet with the wounded ICE supervisor and the agent who killed Garcia.
"Both of these men came to work yesterday never imagining if they would literally be fighting for their lives, but that is exactly what in fact happened, and they were tested in a very dangerous way and showed incredible fortitude," Mr. Morton said.
Morton's response to the deadly, puzzling drama is the latest attempt to confront problems rooted in the agency's creation in 2003, when it was formed as a merger between U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
As early as 2005, the Office of the Inspector General began noting troubling operational dysfunction within the nation's immigration enforcement ranks.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/47321/ice-agents-shooting-no-surprise-w-obama-bad-morale-mgt-immmigration-agency/
ICE are allowed to enforce the borders? Who knew?
I tend to think it was just one guy hanging on to his sanity by a thread. While I'm the first to blame obambi and nappy for their unContitutional ways and incompetence, I think this just an example of a bad apple. Apparently, it was about being "dressed down" by his superior with a witness that sent him over the edge.
People get the "crazies" no matter what their job or profession. Not everything is related to fedgov policies. Some just lose it. You don't kill your boss because you want to expose the bad policies of ICE/DHS. You whistle-blow if you have half a mind. Apparently, that's all this guy had - half.
Well, aren't they special.
I agree this was primarily a management issue which is very common throughout the private and public sector. The difference here is that those involved are always armed.
“But while he certainly did not deserve to be shot, the many ICE agents I know have universally condemned this man and not a single one is surprised this happened.”
“ICE has already begun the spin, portraying the shooter as a nut. But he was not. ICE Agent Zeke Garcia (full name: Ezequiel Garcia), a Group Supervisor who oversaw a team of ICE agents, had a long career at ICE reportedly without a problem. He was a universally liked man who was bullied by Kozak and snapped.”
Every once in a while you can see a Big shiney new ICE suv sitting on the side of I-95 with folks inside.
Never actually see them doing anything though.
And that to me is a little strange. As within a 30 minute drive is a dozen little enclaves with majority illegal.
The next big move should be to merge into ICE the US Postal Service. That should make for some fireworks.
“I agree this was primarily a management issue which is very common throughout the private and public sector. The difference here is that those involved are always armed.”
Seems to me that it’s a safety hazard to permit them to bring loaded guns into the office...
Boy...This is turning into something
ICE Deputy Special Agent in Charge for Los Angeles, Kevin Kozak, was initially shot by ICE Senior Supervisory Special Agent Zeke Garcia at ICE’s Long Beach office. Garcia was then shot and killed by ICE Assistant Special Agent in Charge Perry Woo. Garcia was in a “counseling session” with Kozak, reportedly over a disciplinary matter, and Woo was there as the witness, the typical procedure for such matters. Garcia shot Kozak four times and then was shot and killed by Woo.
It’s unusual that federal agents would feel sorry for the man who did the shooting (and was ultimately killed) and not for the man who was initially shot and lived. But, in this case, the man who was initially shot yesterday, ICE Los Angeles Deputy Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kozak, was part of the problem, not the solution. I condemn violence, I wish him well, and I hope he fully recovers. But while he certainly did not deserve to be shot, the many ICE agents I know have universally condemned this man and not a single one is surprised this happened. In fact, a retired federal agent I know who worked at ICE told me that everyone predicted that one of these days, Kozak was going to take a bullet by fed-up, abused employees. Other agents from all over the country have echoed the sentiment. I’m told that there have been years of complaints filed against Kozak for bad management and discrimination. Never once was anything done about it. And the fish rots from the head down, with the head being Obama appointee/ICE Chief John Moron Morton, who is flying to Los Angeles to “save the day” that can’t be saved and get face time for his faux-somberness. As I first reported here long ago, this is the same Los Angeles ICE division that was headed by two corrupt agents, Robert Schoch and is close personal BFF Jennifer Silliman, both of whom were allowed to keep their jobs despite what agents was their apparently faking of expenses (the official allegations were “embezzlement” and “misuse of ICE funds”). Obama’s John Morton and Suzie “Stripper Pole” Barr let them get away with it. (As I reported, Kozak was Schoch’s acting replacement ta the time.)
ICE has already begun the spin, portraying the shooter as a nut. But he was not. ICE Agent Zeke Garcia (full name: Ezequiel Garcia), a Group Supervisor who oversaw a team of ICE agents, had a long career at ICE reportedly without a problem. He was a universally liked man who was bullied by Kozak and snapped. As one former ICE agent said, “What does it take for a great guy like this to snap like this? Answer: Kevin Kozak.” Garcia was originally with the INS and that was, reportedly, part of why he was bullied. Yet another episode, this one very tragic, in the old INS/Customs dispute, as the two agencies merged into ICE and ICE pretends to do immigration enforcement but actually does nothing.
**** UPDATE: One ICE agent who knew Garcia says the dispute was regarding Garcia being yanked around, being deliberately transferred by Kozak to an office that would add 90 minutes to his daily commute:
He was recently divorced and has a kid. After the divorce, they moved him from the Laguna office to Long Beach increasing his commute by 90 minutes and, then, were screwing with him and tried to discipline him. There are a lot of high strung guys in the agency, but Zeke was never one of them.
END UPDATE ****
One ICE agent:
Kozak, who is an open INS hater, was going after yet another legacy INS supervisor and got shot. The Group Supervisor that shot him, Zeke Garcia was a great guy from what I knew of him. He was killed by ASAC [Assistant Special Agent in Charge] Perry Woo. What a continued mess that office is. Congress should investigate the whole merger and the continued assault of the legacy INS folks in HSI [Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s new branding].
Expect our agency to go dead last in that federal survey.
Another:
Kozak is a well known a**hole, from the John Chakwin school of management. None of the agents are surprised by this. ICE has the kind of management that pushes, and pushes and it was just a matter of time before they pushed a guy over the edge. What a f**ked up outfit.
And another:
Deputy SAIC Kevin Kozak….. One of the most despised and corrupt agents in the agency. ICE has already begun their coverup and attack against “the shooter” who was a very good and liked agent. I have personally overheard agents talk that someday Kozak would take a bullet…. That it was just a matter time.
I have personally assisted agents with their formal written complaints against this pieces of s**t. Kozak has more mismanagement and discrimination complaints filed against him than probably any other supervisor in the agency, yet because of his connections in DC, the agency never does anything. Now they will surround the wagons around Kozak “the victim” and trash the name of ” the shooter”.
And finally another (sarcastically):
What a peachy agency ICE is!!!!
Again, I do not condone the violence against Mr. Kozak. But when an agent opens fire on another agent and shoots four times, apparently trying to kill another agent, it’s not usual he gets sympathy and the victim is universally disdained. In fact, it’s usually the other way around.
That should tell you something about ICE. John Morton should have handed his resignation in last night. Or, rather, long before that. But he needs a job and a way to make free booty call trips to the galpal in New York.
America . . . Desperate But NOT Serious.
I can't wrap my mind around the type of twisted reasoning that is required to come to his conclusion? We do not inhabit the same planet as some of these folks.
I was just wondering ... will “Going ICE” become the new “Going Postal”?
Actually over the years there have been shooting incidents in law enforcement offices or police stations where savy felons being interviewed about a crime are well aware that some officers and agents keep their handguns in a desk drawer or file cabinet while in their offices and those offenders have gotten to the gun(s) and started shooting.
ROTFL.
Or anyplace else they are likely to encounter another agent.
I'd say that might be a little bit disputable...
Fascinating.
As in an immigration enforcement agency not allowed to enforce immigration law or protect the borders.
“Special agent” X three
This has me thinking that perhaps federal agents ... cannot be trusted with firearms.
Keep in mind the 2nd mentions only the right of the people to keep and bear arms (shall not be infringed).
Carrying this odd argument to its logical extremes, now that our armed forces are being staffed with (`high-strung’) homosexuals, and NCOs will be required to wear pregnancy-related gear—all those hormones racing around—well, it’s Obama’s own fault. (And can the SS be trusted with weapons?)
We may have step in.
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