Visit from homeland security today

I work with the construction arm of an apartment complex flipping company. I live in Phoenix, but majority of current work is in Tucson. I stay several nights a week in Tucson and have an apartment that doubles as my office.

Today coming back from another property, there are a couple of guys that look out of place between my car and apartment. I see a few more start to come down the steps ad figure they must be with someone's upstairs.

10 seconds after walking in, I have a knock on my door and the same people are there, but have pulled badges and credentials out of their shirts. They are homeland security and have a picture of a guy they are looking for.

As far as I could tell, they were only knocking on doors in my 10 unit building. When I went tot the office to have another brief meeting, they had no idea with management. The unit above me is making way more noise than usual, how freaked out should I be? I have a glock next to me, but it may not be enough if they explode.

Are you guilty of anything? Relax.

I would be very careful about answering the door with a Glock in my hand at the moment.

One, get out of that "I have a gun to take on the government/assault/last episode of whatever action series" mentality. Before you argue, the fact you posted it shows its there. Save the side arm for the idiot mugger. Unless you drill like an FBI incursion team, you aren't ready for a fire fight for what they will bring. At best you get one and are dead. No scenario shows you getting out alive.

Second, thanks to the current administration, the threats in this country are strongly on the uptick. Living in the beltway and working in the government, the rumblings are the administration wants it to back up claims and the terrorists want it to escalate fighting. IIRC this isn't the first time Arizona has had issues like this either.

TL/DR: You vs Homeland = You lose. Homeland is very busy, right now.

I read that post as him being concerned about whoever homeland was looking for, not thinking about defending himself against homeland. I think he's concerned that if there's a terrorist living upstairs and a raid goes down, he might be in the blast radius of whatever the terrorist set off.

but I do agree the idea of an average citizen using firearms to repel a government raid is asinine.

ultraclyde wrote: I read that post as him being concerned about whoever homeland was looking for, not thinking about defending himself against homeland. I think he's concerned that if there's a terrorist living upstairs and a raid goes down, he might be in the blast radius of whatever the terrorist set off.

I got that too.

I'm kinda interested in apartment complex flipping.

I wouldn't be too concerned about terrorists blowing up the apartment. The way things are going, it's more likely to be a college student who overstayed their visa.

Cut holes in the roof, blasts follow the path of least resistance.

I am not worried about homeland. More about going 'boom'. Picture was an Arab dude probably late teens to maybe young looking early 20s.

Would they sent 6 people out to looks for a college student over staying their visa? Isn't that an immigration or ICE issue?

On keep a glock, I started keeping one after a couple of domestics spilled out in front of me. One of them was armed. I keep a small bag with some gear and have one in it. Sometimes there is not always the room to run away fast or far enough from crazy. Not all of the complexes are grade a, b or even c. Like Too Shirt said, there is money in the ghetto.

Yikes! Well I think if you had anything to worry about the explosion would have gone off already.

Odds are he's just the kind of person who, back in the day, would bring the Anarchist's Cookbook to school to show that he's edgy as berkeley while everyone else rolls their eyes. These days, jihadists are waaay edgier than anarchists, and if a middle-eastern kid gets into this mindset, the feds will contact him online and happily furnish him with all of the encouragement and fake bombs he could ever want. Most of the jihadists arrested in the US were groomed into the role like this. So he probably doesn't have any (real) bombs.

If they are on to him, he has likely moved on and out of your neighborhood. That might give you some sleeping comfort.

Possibly someone else's problem now.

GameboyRMH wrote: Odds are he's just the kind of person who, back in the day, would bring the Anarchist's Cookbook to school to show that he's edgy as berkeley while everyone else rolls their eyes. These days, jihadists are waaay edgier than anarchists, and if a middle-eastern kid gets into this mindset, the feds will contact him online and happily furnish him with all of the encouragement and fake bombs he could ever want. Most of the jihadists arrested in the US were groomed into the role like this. So he probably doesn't have any (real) bombs.

While this has been proven true time and time again, my money would be on migrant workers being that he's just outside Phoenix.

ultraclyde wrote: but I do agree the idea of an average citizen using firearms to repel a government raid is asinine.

They'll never take me alive!

RevRico wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Odds are he's just the kind of person who, back in the day, would bring the Anarchist's Cookbook to school to show that he's edgy as berkeley while everyone else rolls their eyes. These days, jihadists are waaay edgier than anarchists, and if a middle-eastern kid gets into this mindset, the feds will contact him online and happily furnish him with all of the encouragement and fake bombs he could ever want. Most of the jihadists arrested in the US were groomed into the role like this. So he probably doesn't have any (real) bombs.

While this has been proven true time and time again, my money would be on migrant workers being that he's just outside Phoenix.

Location and, NOT A FLOUNDER, current administration policies has me thinking this is about undocumented persons. The implication of looking for a singular person throws me off.

ICE comes for illegals. Trust me, 20 years in all areas of construction in AZ, I have met and worked with more than a few.

Border patrol tries and catch them moving, they sit on the freeways and have occasional stops.

I don't think Homeland gives 2 hollers about standard illegals. I will let you know if they come back, but odds are, if they are watching, no one is going to see them doing it.

Guy asks about homeland, gets scolded for a gun. Seems legit.

To answer ops question, I wouldn't worry about ithe. They've knockEd on my door before too. My neighbor had gotten a job with uncle Sam and they were asking of he was cool and if he beat his wife, etc. No big deal. I told my neighbor later, and we had a laugh over it.

In reply to mndsm:

Yup, I've had Homeland security knock on my door and ask about the guy who lived right across the street. He worked at oak ridge national Lab and was getting put on a super top secret project and they had to get him security clearance. I had honestly never seen the guy, or his family before so I couldn't give them anything.

Just thinking out loud, was it really ICE posing as HLS? They identify themselves as anything but what they actually are these days.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote:

ultraclyde wrote: but I do agree the idea of an average citizen using firearms to repel a government raid is asinine.

They'll never take me alive!

They don't want to.

And then she goes and lays a patio over your ass...

So speaking with the property manager, he has deal with Homeland and FBI several times at other properties in the area. Apparently, the most common deal is for them to be trafficking drugs and money through FedEx and UPS. They get deliveries of some or all in bulk and then break apart and send.

Usually they are from the east or middle east. They set up in high Mexican Illegal areas as it is easier to blend in and bad SS# are not such a big deal. Once they get spooked they bail. He had to clean out one of these apartments 2 years ago that had nearly 500 fedex boxes labeled and ready to go. They were all abandoned with the addresses being almost exclusively Mail Box Ect and other non-USPS PO box places.

I am out of Tucson and in Phoenix until Monday, he expects them to be gone no later than this weekend. Just another day in border area apartment living.

I know my friends and family thought I did something wrong when I initially got my TS/Sci

914Driver wrote: Are you guilty of anything? Relax.

The innocent have the most to worry about. The guilty can relax.