A meeting between congressional staff members and a top Border Patrol official won’t happen this month but is still in the works.
The meeting, which U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks’ staffers hoped to organize by today, will occur as soon as arrangements can be made, Dicks’ spokesman, George Behan, said Tuesday in an email.
It’s been tough getting staff members of Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and from Dicks’ office together in one place with Border Patrol Blaine Sector Chief John Bates, but it will occur as soon as scheduling issues are resolved, Behan said.
“We are just trying to get several people from various offices together,” Behan said.
“We will get it scheduled.”
The topic of the meeting will be on the agency’s current and future activities on the North Olympic Peninsula and concerns over stepped-up Border Patrol activities and staffing.
Bates’ region covers Alaska, Oregon and the western half of Washington state, including Clallam and Jefferson counties.
The 6th Congressional District, the area represented by Dicks, includes those counties.
Bates’ office has been contacted about the meeting, Border Patrol spokesman Richard Sinks said Tuesday.
“A meeting is being set up,” Sinks said.
“It’s a matter of getting a bunch of people together at the same time.”
With the Border Patrol staff that cover Clallam and Jefferson counties increasing from four in 2006 to the more than 40 described earlier this summer by Port Angeles Border Patrol Agent Christian Sanchez, some North Olympic Peninsula residents have expressed concerns to the point of picketing Border Patrol facilities.
They have demonstrated in front of the new $5.7 million headquarters under construction at 110 S. Penn St. near the Port Angeles city limit.
That building is large enough for up to 50 agents.
The Border Patrol station is located at 138 W. First St. in downtown Port Angeles, in space the agency has said is big enough to house only four agents.
The number of agents had grown to 26 by April 2, 2009.
Sanchez told the Advisory Committee on Transparency in Washington, D.C., on July 29 that the Port Angeles station is a “black hole” staffed by agents “with no purpose, no mission” who are told to work overtime to justify an expanding budget.
After he refused to take overtime for doing no work, supervisors suggested he get psychological help, Sanchez claimed.
He said his days off also were not allowed, temporary assignments as shift supervisor were denied, urine drug tests were ordered, his chaplain’s status was taken away, and he and his family were tailed by undercover officers.
Sanchez has returned to work at the Port Angeles station.
He has refused to be interviewed about his allegations.
The Border Patrol has said those allegations will be investigated but has refused to comment further.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
