ICE's whistle-blower 'witch hunt' must stop, union says

[Omaha Steve]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/07/the_union_representing_immigra.html

The union representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers is accusing the agency of unfairly targeting an agent investigators apparently suspect of leaking information about controversial arrest quotas to the media.

Officials with the American Federation of Government Employees National Council 118 said Friday that they suspect that the agent is being harassed because his surname is Asian, as is that of the reporter from The Washington Post who wrote about the quotas. The union declined to identify the agent.

In a story published in March, Post reporter Spencer S. Hsu and the Center for Investigative Reporting wrote about an e-mail that a senior ICE official sent to agents announcing new arrest quotas. ICE distanced itself from the e-mails and said it has since clarified its policy to agents.

“ICE leaders got caught doing something they shouldn’t have been doing, and now they want revenge and are targeting their own employees,” AFGE Council 118 President Chris Crane said Friday.

He said the agent, who does not want to be identified for fear of retribution, has been questioned about the matter by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). The agent has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Crane said.

ICE spokesman Brian Hale said Friday that “senior leadership in ICE did not pursue or request any investigation into this matter.” Hale declined to comment further on who might have asked OPR to investigate the leaks. He also declined to comment on the allegation that the agent has been targeted because of his Asian surname.

OPR probes allegations of misconduct, but Crane said it unfairly targets rank-and-file workers.

FULL story at link.