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Whistleblower: Ports 'Wide Open' To Illegal Immigrants

POSTED: 7:33 am PDT June 5, 2006
UPDATED: 8:13 am PDT June 5, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Illegal immigration is a hot button political issue these days, but a knowledgeable insider from the Customs and Border Protection agency told NBC4's Kelly Mack that his superiors are increasingly cool to the idea of stopping illegal immigation at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

(Following is a verbatim script from the on-air report.)

Kelly Mack: Undocumented aliens slipping across our borders! Politicians are demanding a crackdown. But when it comes to this avenue of illegal entry, one insider tells us, the door is wide open.

Whistleblower: The security in the port is extremely lacking ... as far as worrying about illegal aliens or possible terrorists that are coming in, there are a lot of holes.

Mack: The man in the shadow, who prefers anonymity for fear of retaliation, works for the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. He's speaking out because, he says, his own superiors are keeping him and other officers from getting tough on illegal immigrants.

Whistleblower: A lot of them we encounter down at the fishing docks ... management has given a directive to officers to stay away from those areas ... there are illegal aliens in the port driving trucks ... management turns a blind eye to this as well.

Mack: He claims his superiors aren't doing enough to patrol Catalina Island, which he says is a favorite entry point for undocumented immigrants arriving by sea. And when foreign crewmembers jump ship in the ports, he says Customs and Border Protection often keeps its own officers from making arrests.

Whistleblower: We've approached management to bring those people in because they're in violation of the immigration law. Management declines."

Mack: Worst of all, he says cooperation with other port security agencies is slipping.

Whistleblower: There's a lot of suggestions officers have made to management to do joint operations with Los Angeles Port police, to do a little more with the Coast Guard. Our management declines.

Mack: Why are his superiors so resistant to immigration enforcement?

Whistleblower: They say that we don't have the resources and manpower.

Mack: And, he says, his agency sees stopping illegal immigration as less important than stopping illegal cargo, which can be used by terrorists to move weapons of mass destruction into the country.

Whistleblower: Their primary concern is cargo, cargo, cargo.

Mack: But, he says, there's a real danger of terrorists slipping into the ports through the illegal-immigration pipeline

Whistleblower: Terrorists could come in at any time.

Mack: The Customs and Border Protection agency told us they are looking into the allegations of our source and will take corrective action if necessary. Captain Ralph Tracy of the LA Harbor police says the agency is an effective partner in securing the ports.

Captain Paul Tracy, LA Harbor police: They're top drawer. We work with them every day, especially at the Cruise Terminal. They're doing a really good job.

Mack: For Today in LA, Kelly Mack, Channel 4 News.

In commenting on this story, the Customs and Border Protection agency says it works diligently to keep our borders secure and takes seriously any allegations that it isn't carrying out its mission with utmost integrity. The Ports Security Media Division Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection also released the following official statement:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. Our 41,000 employees across the country work diligently every day to keep our borders secure and we take any allegations that our mission is not being carried out with utmost integrity very seriously. CBP is currently conducting an inquiry into the allegations shared with KNBC and will take immediate corrective actions should they prove to be true. The American public and the people of Southern California should know that CBP is committed to ensuring that America is secure while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.

United States Customs and Border Protection Info: