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My Brief Conversation with the Homeland Security Department This Morning

November 10, 2011, 9:47 am

I got a call this morning from Homeland Security about their e-verify immigration tracking system (which we are required by law to use in Arizona).  The caller said that Homeland Security was interested in the satisfaction of their customers.  I told her that I am not her customer.  I am a subject of the state who is forced by law against my will to use their system.  A customer is someone who is in a voluntary relationship.

The call ended soon after that.  I supposed I have just asked for some sort of audit, but at this point I don't care.

Tags: ,
Category: Government, Individual Rights
  • me

    Thank you for standing up for all of us.

  • http://tjic.com TJIC

    Awesome!

  • http://AReasonableMan.com Gil

    Good for you.

    I'm sure it's easy for them to forget about the coercion and pretend they're just providing a service that everybody wants.

    It seems to me to be useful to remind them of the nature of the relationship (if it doesn't cause you too many problems).

  • steve

    Good luck. It is a fine line you walk. Yes, people have to stand up to make things change, but on the other hand these people get paid to make examples of dissenters. It is water off a ducks back to most of them when they do their job, and they got 40 hours a week with benefits to do it in. It really takes many, many dissenters to make a significant difference. Tricky. Timing I guess.

  • eddie

    In fairness to the agent, some businesses surely do use e-verify voluntarily. So the service does have some actual customers.

    But they're probably the vast minority of their users.

  • http://dullgeek.blogspot.com dullgeek

    Well done. Especially since you did it in real time. I almost always come up with the thing I want to say about 15 minutes after he opportunity to say it has passed.

  • John Anderson

    I'd like to buy you a drink.

  • Steve Burrows

    Bravo!

    bit by little bit, we may get some of our liberty back via small acts like this adding up.

    Hoping there is a straw about to fall on the camel's back.

  • http://stopthebreathing.blogtownhall.com astonerii

    Eh, she probably was not really an employee and you will be left unmolested.

    Nice stand up answer.

  • Bill Beyer

    Awesome! We need more people to stand up for themselves like that. And sadly, we do resemble subjects more than citizens all too often. I hope you don't get subjected to harrasment from petty officials, though.

  • http://www.babytrollblog.com Mark Alger

    Good on ya! You and Gibson. More businessmen need to stand up to the statists -- understanding that the calculus that it's too expensive to fight city hall is short-sighted and costs more in the long run than otherwise.

    M