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Cheap labor for corporations > national security.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14140370/
Federal investigators easily pass border checks using fake identification
By Lisa Myers
Senior investigative correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:05 p.m. ET Aug. 1, 2006
Along the northern and southern borders, undercover federal investigators tried to enter the United States using fake driver’s licenses and fake birth certificates.
The results? Staggering. At all nine border crossings tested, investigators got in easily. Not a single border agent detected the phony IDs. In fact, at two crossings, agents didn't even check any IDs at all.
"Well, this is totally unacceptable,” says Thomas Kean, former chairman of the 9/11 commission.
Kean notes that some 9/11 hijackers used fraudulent IDs. He says someone must finally be held accountable for lapses at the border.
"It’s happened too often," Kean says. "And the American people aren’t safe because of it.”"
In fact, this investigation by the Government Accountability Office is a follow-up to one three years ago in which three crossings were tested, and all the agents failed to detect the fake IDs.
At the time, we gave a Washington, D.C., bar manager a stack of IDs to see if he could pick out a fake license — almost exactly the same as the one government agents missed.
He did.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, says it's appalling that nothing has been fixed.
"The Department of Homeland Security hasn't made any progress in three years!" Grassley says.
We will not reveal the exact crossings tested this year, but they're in a variety of states: California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Michigan and New York.
DHS says it has increased manpower and training so officers can spot fake do ents.
"It is important to note we acknowledge the vulnerability exists," says DHS official Paul Morris. "And it will continue as long as we have inconsistent and somewhat insecure do ents."
The 9/11 commission and now DHS say the answer is to require passports for everyone crossing the border — even Americans.
© 2006 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14140370/
Cheap labor for corporations > national security.
were they Anglo??
Speaking from lots and lots and LOTS of international travel experience, this is pretty sad. I've seen so many 90 year old women shook down by security at airports, and I know several foreign executives who've been completely and unnecessarily hassled by U.S. Customs...yet any s bag can walk across a bridge with any fake papers because they lazy bas s are too incompetent to do their jobs and swipe those things to test their validity and legitimacy.
I've been across the Laredo bridge a few times, as recent as a year ago, and only once was I casually asked if I was a U.S. citizen. All I said was "yes" and they did not even look, not even GLANCE, at my Texas driver's license.
Nice. Way to waste more money, government.
Once I was with a buddy from Brazil who had his passport with him at the bridge and the border authorities didn't even care to look at his passport. They were like, "yeah, whatever, go on through". Don't you guys feel safe? Good fvcking grief.
Your safety < corporate profits
Why aren't the yahoos and jingos in the Repug party and White House screaming bloody murder and bringing up the GAO on treason charges for exposing these national security vulnerabilities? Surely this information is extremely useful to terrorists wanting to enter the USA.
The Repugs are only interested in holding power, stuffing their pockets, looting the federal government, bashing the Dems, maximizing polarization, are absolutely not interested governing the country, which is why they are totally immune to and disdainful of people calling the Repugs incompetent. "Incompetent? Of course we're incompetent. We don't even try to be competent. STFU while we get back to enriching and protecting the rich and corps"
I went to Del Rio in the end of May to go see my niece graduate from high school. On our way back there is a check point. There were two Border Patrols there. One was holding a drug sniffing dog and walked around our truck once. The other one came up to our window and asked, "you guys American Citizens?" We both said yes. He said, "go ahead." He didn't ask for ID or anything. That was our conversation. I'm not breaking it down. That was our exact conversation.
That's exactly what happens, bro. Same in Cali, too.
Its crazy. I hadn't been to a check point since the 911 thing. I figured that when I did, that the security would be tighter. Guess not.
Why is everyone so negative? You need to learn to find the good news in all of this, namely this tidbit:
Our borders might not be safe, but our booze is! No dirty illegals will walk into the bars that our forefathers fought so bravely for and drink our hard earned beer! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!At the time, we gave a Washington, D.C., bar manager a stack of IDs to see if he could pick out a fake license — almost exactly the same as the one government agents missed.
He did.
you could replace every repug with democrat in that last paragraph. all political parties are most interested in holding on to their own power. they exist to further themselves, period.
The recent news showed a port in WA, NY & MI that allowed in fake docs.
"democrat in that last paragraph"
Not true. Many commentators and even Repug ex-WH-insiders have commented on how the dubya/ head/rove WH has been exclusively about politics and maintaining power to enrich and protect the rich and corps, and definitely not about policy.
The Dems handed a very well functioning and widely admired FEMA to the Repugs, which the Repugs promptly trashed under the garbage heap known as DHS.
The Dems had very popular environmental policies throughout the 90s.
The Repugs' willful incompetence and lack of governing, the unrelenting politicizing of all departments with political operatives to play politics instead of career professionals to define and implement policies, is unprecented. 9/11, the entire war on terr, and the phony war in Iraq have been nothing but bludgeons to beat up politically on the Dems.
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