'Made in Mexico' uniforms chafe Border Patrol agents

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON - It seems an odd fit: U.S. Border Patrol uniforms with labels that say, "Made in Mexico."

Some agents are irate and said they are amazed and embarrassed to find that their new orders for green shirts and trousers - and maybe other uniform items - are being filled with articles of clothing manufactured south of the border.

It is an ironic twist, they said, for the agency whose job it is to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I just received a half-dozen new shirts, pants - and the labels all say they are made in Mexico," said Rich Pierce, a Tampa-based agent and executive vice president of the 16,000-member National Border Patrol Council, the agents' union. "Why can't we have uniforms made in the U.S.? What's next? Shipping our Border Patrol jobs to the Mexicans? The other agents I've talked to all think this is some bad joke."

more..............

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0611uniforms11.html

[LittleApple81]

1. I don't see the joke. They want to keep the Mexicans in Mexico.

Mexicans want to come here to work. Ergo: if you give them the jobs in MEXICO they will stay there and the patrol will have an easier job.

By the way, Mexican police ARE cheaper than American police...

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. And you believe that?

I imagine that sweatshops in Mexico can't be all that much better than sweatshops in the U.S.

[LittleApple81]

9. It was a tongue-in-cheek comment. I guess it was too much in-cheek. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Okay.

BTW, when you said that Mexican police are cheaper, did you mean cheaper to bribe? ;-)

[sam sarrha]

13. Cheaper?? not if you are a pesant..you got to bribe them ALL the time give

them your daughters... hell there are 5000 people missing in Juarez and they have found about 400 bodies of young women murdered and dumped basically in the same place.. the reply of the police chief when asked why there was no investigation was .."They were just Whores anyway"

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. The selling out of America.

Compliments of conservatives, both Democratic & Republican.

[TexasProgresive]

4. Where are they gonna get US made stuff

all the clothing plants have moved away - even your underware. Sara Lee shuts down 4000+ jobs in the underware industry to send them overseas.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x615852

[cleofus1]

5. ha aha ahahja ah ahaha ha!

irony drips thickly...

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Interesting...

maybe it's part of the NAFTA agreement. Even more interesting would be to know what the savings are that justify it. I saw this on Lou Dobbs the other night.

I'm for free trade...but with restrictions to make it fair trade. Unfortunately, the US garment industry has been so gutted that there's not much clothing made in the US anymore. :( The dilemma has become spending more for them in the US and having people complain to the high heavens about the increased spending "of their tax dollars" or doing what they did.

<off topic rant>I'm sick and tired of people screaming about being taxed to death. Those that do really don't have a clue what a bargain they're getting and are under the "ass"umption that "their taxes dollars" support everything under the sun. It's just not true and shows how the conservative mantra has brainwashed them.</off topic rant>

[saigon68]

7. It could Say Made by Federal Prison Industries or UNICOR

http://www.unicor.gov/online_store/storefront_clothing.htm

Subpart 8.6- Acquisition from Federal Prison Industries, Inc.
8.601 General.
(a) Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), also referred to as UNICOR, is a self-supporting, wholly owned Government corporation of the District of Columbia.
(b) FPI provides training and employment for prisoners confined in Federal penal and correctional institutions through the sale of its supplies and services to Government agencies (18 U.S.C. 4121-4128).
(c) FPI diversifies its supplies and services to minimize adverse impact on private industry.
(d) Supplies manufactured and services performed by FPI are listed in the FPI Schedule, which can be accessed at http://www.unicor.gov or by submitting a written request to Federal Prison Industries, Inc., Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20534.
8.602 Policy.

ON EDIT: CLOTHES MADE BY AMERIKAN PRISON SLAVE LABOR.

http://www.unicor.gov/about/website%20SIC.xls

ALMOST $700 million dollars

[0007]

8. ...the only good thing about this, is that the American can afford

it for the moment.

Will a day come that many won't have the money to buy these products made in other counties?

[Ripley]

10. And the sunglasses they wear are made in Japan.

The majority of the parts in their Ford pick-up were made in China or Mexico before being shipped to an American plant to "assemble." Their cell phones/walkie-talkies were made in Japan or Europe. Their watch was made in Taiwan.

The only things they have that are "Made In America" are their Marlboro's and their Smith and Wesson's.

[sam sarrha]

12. It isn't immigration.. it is Migration.. greatest Migration of people in

planet Reagan's history. The Mexican government is exporting their poverty, created by government corruption, to this country to raise the standard of living for the rich. .. i guess smuggling trillions of dollars of deadly drugs to our children isn't keeping up with the demand of greed.

A couple of years ago the UN called Mexico "Democratically irretrievable, and morally bankrupt."

If we wanted to invade a country to start a democratic government, we should have invaded MEXICO........... again! and keep invading till they get it right.

[UTUSN]

14. Bwahahahahaha n/t

[BJ]

15. Postal uniforms have to be "Union Made in USA".

At least that was the norm five years ago when I retired on disability.
:shrug:

[yellowcanine]

16. poetic justice - Oh the irony! But appropriate - if you want them to stay

in Mexico they need to make a living, no? But that would make too much sense.

[TriMetFan]

17. My Public Transit Uniform has:

"Union Made in USA". So why can't theirs?
But on the other hand. I would rather have something Made in Mexico then Made in China.

[gratuitous]

18. What will the border guys do?

They detain some fellow who identifies himself as "Inspector 17" just as the tag falls out of their pocket that certifies their uniform was passed by Inspector 17.

I suppose they'd thank him for making a quality garment, beat him severely, then send him back home.

On second thought, "Inspector 17" probably wouldn't be crossing illegally into the U.S., because he presumably has a decent job. That is, if he's receiving a fair wage for making garments good enough for the U.S. Border Patrol, right?

[saigon68]

19. kick