Newsstand - New border security program has yet to nab terrorists

But at least it's keeping out some drug dealers....

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0104/012904c1.htm

By Chris Strohm
cstrohm@govexec.com

A new visa system at the nation's borders is catching more immigration violators and criminals, but it has yet to uncover anyone suspected of terrorism-related activities, according to homeland security officials.

Critics say the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT) program is stretching thin an already overloaded border workforce and and does not appear, at least in the early stages, to be making the country safer from potential terrorists.

Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of border and transportation security for the Homeland Security Department, told a House subcommittee Tuesday that US VISIT has increased the number of people arrested on charges such as immigration violations, drug trafficking and fraud. Hutchinson later admitted, however, that no one has yet been detained or arrested on terrorism-related charges.

US VISIT was launched at 115 airports and 14 seaports on Jan. 5, and requires visitors with nonimmigrant visas to give border inspectors biometric information in the form of two fingerprints and a digital photo, along with their biographical and travel information. The information is entered into a database and compared to terrorist and criminal watch lists.

A homeland security official said Thursday that the system has resulted in 77 "hits" to date, meaning that the biometric information provided by a person registered with a criminal or terrorist watch list. US VISIT has resulted in the arrest of 20 confirmed criminals, according to the official.


For example, a citizen of El Salvador was arrested in New York City on Jan. 10 when the system determined that he previously had been convicted of killing a woman while drinking and driving. The person had been entering and leaving the country under a false identify despite outstanding warrants for his arrest.

MORE...

Ok, and maybe it is doing something!?

But we have a massive, unprotected, overland border with Mexico.

Everything and everyone is crossing it.

I have stood there at the bridge on the US side looking into TJ(Tiajuana) and seen Mexicans who snuck over into the US. Our people did nothing, while hundreds sit in long lines waiting up to 3 hours to cross into the US legally.

The stupid officer took away an apple from a friend who had brought it in from the US to Mexico and had not eaten it before coming back. Oh, big man Mr. officer. Gee, you are on the ball.

I even got stopped and they red flagged me, checking my license, while a Mexican waltzed right through without any questions. I stood there with jaw open,
OKKK. The officer treated me very badly and even asked me to get out of the way for our visitor to come right through. ...

Kind of disgusting if you ask me. And even if you don't ask me. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

------------------
YAS+

More border-related stupidity...

Cross-Border Church Visit Costs Man $10,000 (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=4324117)
Tue February 10, 2004 07:49 AM ET

By Charles Grandmont
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Crossing the U.S.-Canada border to go to church on a Sunday cost a U.S. citizen $10,000 for breaching Washington's tough new security rules.

The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, a resident of rural Maine who lives so close to the Canadian border the U.S. customs office is right next door to his house.

Like the other half-dozen residents of Township 15 Range 15, crossing the border is a daily ritual for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and pray.

...

As a result, Albert says did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the United States after attending mass in Canada, as usual.

The local U.S. customs station is closed on Sundays, so he just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security.

Two days later, Albert was summoned to the customs office, where an officer told him he had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally.

Ottawa has granted special passes to some 300 U.S. citizens in that region so they can enter the country when Canadian customs posts are closed, but the United States canceled a similar program last May.

That forces local residents to make a 200-mile detour along treacherous logging roads to get home via the nearest staffed border checkpoint.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection would not comment specifically on Albert's case because of privacy laws.

"Since 9/11, we've enhanced our security and, yes, some of the situations require inconvenience to people, so we have to go along with what the regulations are," said Janet Rapaport, a public affairs officer with the bureau. She added that local residents had been told about the stricter controls.

Albert has appealed the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday mass since.

"I feel like I'm living in a jail," he said.

Have we all lost our minds?

This guy comes home and gets summoned by the feds because they did not have a manned crossing post.

BUT, if a terrorist wanted to cross he could do so. AND, unless we knew who he was via a photo he would not be detained, arrested, questioned or anything else.

Am I missing something here?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by NoStressHere:
Have we all lost our minds?</font>

Without any doubt!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Bruce

Another US citizen falsely hurt by Mr. Ridge and his security rules. This incident calls for the application of some comman sense,certainly not a $10,000 fine.It's time to stop treating US citizens as terrorists.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">A spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection would not comment specifically on Albert's case because of privacy laws. </font>

ROFL!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

bloody insane.

No, a terrorist would stop and make sure his pic is taken. The fact that he drove arond the border and could do that.

LOL!