http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/ho ... ?id=705066


Author: Michael Cutler
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc
Date: February 6, 2007



So far 1300 illegals from around the world have been arrested in a recent raid on Swift and Company. FSM Contributing Editor explains why the nations of origin of some of these aliens are particularly disturbing.



The Diverse “Alien Nation”


A recent ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) newsletter that highlights an investigation of Swift and Company, one of the biggest processors of fresh beef and pork, has received a lot of fanfare. So far nearly 1,300 employees were arrested on immigration charges. According to the newsletter, 274 of these illegal aliens have been charged with criminal violations, including reentry after deportation and/or crimes related to identity theft.



Interestingly, some of the aliens who were arrested were not from Latin America but came from other parts of the world, including Laos, Sudan and Ethiopia. The article did not note how many of the aliens arrested came from those none-Latin American countries nor did it make note of whether or not any of those aliens were being charged with any criminal violations. However, there are a couple of points worth considering.



Advocates for open borders express anger when the term "alien" is used to describe non-citizens and often claim that the enforcement of the immigration laws constitutes racism. It is true that the majority of the illegal aliens in the United States come from Mexico and Latin America. This is, in part, attributable to geography, as Mexico shares a large land border with the United States making it easy for their impoverished citizens to come to the United States. Because the majority of the illegal aliens in the United States come from Latin America, it is likely that immigration law enforcement efforts are more likely to involve citizens of Latin American countries. I can, however, assure you that when I was an INS special agent, we were seeking those who violated the immigration laws irrespective of nationality.



The fact that at least a few of the illegal aliens who were caught in the dragnet wielded by ICE came from a diverse range of nations shows that not all illegal aliens are from Latin America. The fact that Sudan and Ethiopia were the nations of citizenship for at least a few of the illegal aliens who were arrested raises another issue. Those two countries are heavily involved in terrorism. I do not know whether the aliens from those countries that were arrested are involved in anything more nefarious than working illegally, but the special agents conducting the investigation are, no doubt concerned. If they were involved in the identity theft aspects of the criminal cases emanating from this investigation, the possibility that these aliens were attempting to hide in plain sight while they supported terrorist activities has to be considered. Furthermore, it makes it clear that illegal aliens from "Special Interest" countries are operating within our nation's borders and represent a potential threat. (A Special Interest country is a country that has been identified as being involved in terrorism.)



The potential also exists that there are illegal aliens from Special Interest countries who have assumed identities that conceal their true countries of origin. Some may be claiming to be citizens of Latin American countries, for example. This is not a farfetched concern when you realize that there are countries in Latin America where corruption of government officials is a problem or where the leaders are openly hostile to the United States. We also know that there are training camps in the so-called "Three Corners Region" of Brazil that are being operated by Hamas and Hezbollah.



That is part of the problem with having millions of "undocumented" aliens in the United States. Properly identifying them including their respective nationalities, can be highly problematic, indeed, virtually impossible. These millions of illegal aliens make a huge haystack in which the criminal and terrorists can easily hide. This is another reason why the Guest Worker Amnesty program advocated by the President and members of both houses of Congress from both political parties keeps me awake at night.



I commend the efforts of the ICE special agents who have been pursuing this investigation and hope they will have much success in finding more illegal aliens, especially those who have committed identity theft and other felonies. The newsletter makes the point that the investigation is continuing and I, for one, hope it is. What needs to be remembered is that there are millions of illegal aliens 'out there' and only a relative handful of special agents who are on the hunt. This is why the failure of our government to hire an adequate number of special agents to enforce the immigration laws is so vexing to me.



The massive, far-flung identity theft rings that have been focused on as a part this investigation appear to have been well organized and quite sophisticated. I recall working a case with the DEA towards the end of my career in which homeless people were recruited to obtain United States passports. The ring that recruited them would then disassemble the genuine passports and substitute the photograph of a drug trafficker, often an illegal alien, who wanted to be able to travel easily into the United States. The new passports would make that sort of photo substitution virtually impossible, but bad guys always adjust their strategies in order to overcome the hurdles that our government attempts to place in their way.



The crooks and the terrorists are getting more sophisticated. They are highly motivated. When I was a new agent, an old-timer took me aside to impart some of his wisdom he acquired in the decades he had worked in law enforcement upon me. He told me to never forget that when a cop is chasing a criminal, the cop is running for his paycheck and the criminal is running for his life!



The beleaguered law enforcement personnel at ICE need to get the resources they require to do an effective job, including many more new colleagues. It is interesting that this investigation resulted in the discovery of a massive identity theft operation. The effective investigation of immigration law violations has the potential to uncover a whole host of other issues, including national security-related threats. That is why our nation must not succumb to the political pressure of providing Guest Worker amnesty for millions of undocumented illegal aliens.



There President continues to hawk the Guest Worker Amnesty program as a way of taking pressure off the border. I would have to disagree with that assessment. The prospect of gaining the ability to work legally in the United States encourages more illegal immigration and with it, a host of other criminal violations. If you want to truly take the pressure off the border, take away the incentives that draw those millions of illegal aliens here in the first place. As I have said on previous occasions, "No one would break into an amusement park if they could not get to go on the rides and no one remains in the amusement park at the end of the day when they turn off the lights and shut down the rides!"



Lead, follow or get out of the way!