Homeland Security Agents Force Plane to Land in San Antonio

WOAI ^ | 1/24/2005 | ElephantinTexas

[ElephantinTexas]

This is my first post so I hope I got it right.

This is breaking here in San Anonio. A single engine plane has been forced down at Stenson Field south of San Antonio. Homeland Security, DPS and SAPD are on the scene. They are waiting for a Chinese tranlator but they have Chinese illegals in custody and said that the pilot was someone Homeland Security has been looking for.

I'll post more as it comes available.

[trubluolyguy]

Good work. Miller Time.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Are these our Boston-bound boys?

[bayourod]

If we had a 40,000 foot high fence across the border they couldn't have gotten over it.

[Next_Time_NJ]

Chinese illegals?? How many of them can possibly make headlines.. I smell a connection somewhere.

[piasa]

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=17053480-D960-4D97-9BF7-04A7492B7271
Homeland Security Agents Force Plane to Land in S.A.
LAST UPDATE: 1/24/2005 10:27:55 PM
Posted By: Walker Robinson
Five suspected illegal immigrants were being questioned Monday night at Stinson Airfield shortly after their plane was forced down by federal agents.
San Antonio Police surrounded the airport close to 9 p.m. Monday after receiving a call for help from the Department of Homeland Security, officials said.
The single-engine Cessna plane was intercepted after officials said it was flying in American airspace illegally. The people on the plane appear to be Chinese.
No word on where the plane left from or its destination.
For the latest on this developing story, watch News 4 WOAI and tune into NewsRadio 1200 WOAI.

[piasa]

LOL

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

This crap has been going on forever. I knew a guy who traded in drugs and money, exchanged between USA and Mexico via small aircraft. It would be no surprise at all that the smugglers are now trading in personnel, even terrorists. BOLO and BLOAT. And welcome to Free Republic.

[BJungNan]

A fine first post. And FReeRepublic original content reporting at that. You're making news! bttt

[Lijahsbubbe]

Wish my first post was as good as this one! Good work!

[bahblahbah]

ROFL

Anyone know how about the technologies that go into detecting low flying airplanes?

[Paul_Denton]

Welcome to FR!

[bayourod]

The Dems mocked President Bush's Air National Guard service, but his duty was flying interceptor jets on patrols for planes trying to illegally enter U.S. Texas Air space

[NY Attitude]

Mark 1 - Mod 0 Eyeball.

[ElephantinTexas]

Thank you. It seems like I could spell San Antonio and translator tho'. I saw the live reports on KSAT 12 TV (ksat .com) here in San Antonio but there's no link up yet.

[Fiddlstix]

Welcome to FR J

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Hmmmm...they're in Texas?

[dixiechick2000]

"there's no link up yet"

So...while you are waiting,
you can create an about page. ;o)

Welcome to Free Republic!
You should be proud of your first post.
It's great!
Mine was damnable. ;o)

[dixiechick2000]

I meant an "exciting" about page.
Your first post is exciting. ;o)

[ProudVet77]

There's a few choices. There is downward looking radar like from an AWACS/JSTAR aircraft from above. You can use a surface search radar (like the Raytheon 1900N) at ground level, that can pick up a plane at 200 feet at 15 miles. And then there are helicopter based radars. They use radars similar to a surface search radar, just are able to get the antenna up to a decent altitude and can move it around for patrols.
Beyond that there are all kinds of whiz bang high tech gadgets (IR for example) which I don't really know much about.

[piasa]

Remember those Sheriff's department DARE programs? "Druggies Are Recruited Endlessly" or "Doing Acid's Really Entertaining," or whatever it meant. When you see a kid wearing a DARE t-shirt, chances are he's the guy who pilfered your stereo...

[ElephantinTexas]

Done!

[Smogger]

I dont like it. What were they doing in that plane? Trying to get away?

And what about the two Iraqis that were supposedly involved in all this?

Did anyone watch the movie Dirty War tonight? Scaaary...

[norraad]

That 40,000 foot fence is a high tech whiz bang gadget I'd like to see!

[Brad's Gramma]

Welcome to FR!!! GREAT first post. Please let us know when you hear more.

[dixiechick2000]

LOLOL!

That's GREAT!
Ya' done good, kid. ;o)

Now, I await updates.
But, I have to turn in.
If you would, please ping me
when you get them.
TIA

[thecabal]

America, the greatest nation in history is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants are an asset.

I'm sure you mean legal immigrants, right?

[Joe Hadenuf]

If we had a 40,000 foot high fence across the border they couldn't have gotten over it.

Exactly! How stupid is a wall and all this talk of border security just to keep millions from pouring in illegally, when a two or three can just fly in.

Brilliant!

[BurbankKarl]

It about time my #5 dinner arrived! I ordered it hours ago.

[tiki]

Around here we have something called an Aerostat. I don't know how it works and it looks like a blimp connected by guy-wires. I know almost all the people who work there but they can't talk.

[BurbankKarl]

Funny, Asa Hutchinson resigns and hours later agents are busting illegals!

[bayourod]

I have a lot of respect for law enforcement officers, but County Sheriffs and Constables are elected offices.

Unlike police chiefs, they are politicians who have to kiss arse while raising money for campaigns. There is so much opportunity for corruption, and very little chance of anyone being able to do anything about.

Once a plane makes it onto the ground at an isolated dirt landing strip there is nothing the feds can do. The local sheriff or constable is there providing cover.

[Americanwolf]

A good set of ears?

[holyscroller]

"The Dems mocked President Bush's Air National Guard service, but his duty was flying interceptor jets on patrols for planes trying to illegally enter U.S. Texas Air space."

Hey great bayourod! You finally posted a response us anti-illegal alien types agreed with. Congratulations, and keep it up.

[Finalapproach29er]

Chinese helped build the first transnational railroad after the Civil War.

They've had a presence in this relatively young nation for a long time.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Welcome to FR.

This just showed up:

China Eager to Increase Ties With Mexico

[CindyDawg]

If the smuggler was telling the truth, maybe this is the package that was supposed to follow. Guess we will never know though.

[sarah_f]

They are Chinese GUEST WORKERS, and deserve amnesty.

To treat them any differently than 10 million Mexican GUEST WORKERS would be discriminatory.

[Flyer]

Ping. . .

Great first post, ElephantinTexas!

[TheCrusader]

"If we had a 40,000 foot high fence across the border they couldn't have gotten over it."

Yeah, national borders don't make any sense to me either. They should just be lines on a map so you'll know what country you're in. Oops, I forgot, without borders that are enforced you don't have a country. Oh what the hell, since you don't believe in the enforcing of borders, let's all bring our camping gear and a three month supply of beer and squat in your back yard for a few months, we don't need a proper invitation, right?

[FreedomCalls]

For Immediate Release January 22, 2005	Washington D.C. FBI National Press Office
UPDATE ON PERSONS SOUGHT FOR QUESTIONING ON CITY OF BOSTON THREAT Washington , D.C. - The FBI announces that Mei Xia Dong, Chinese/female (originally thought to be male), was located upon being identified as one of 14 subjects allegedly involved in a suspected Boston terror plot. Mei Xia Dong was located in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility in the San Diego , CA , area. She was arrested for an immigration violation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents on November 11, 2004 , and had remained in custody since that time. Investigation has determined that Mei Xia Dong paid an undisclosed sum to human smugglers to be brought into the United States through Mexico .  It appears at this time that Mei Xia Dong's motives for entering the U.S. may have been for economic reasons.  The investigation thus far does not tie her to any terrorist group. The FBI continues to work with the Department of Homeland Security as well as our state and local law enforcement partners to resolve this matter. It should be noted that, to date, none of the original and anonymous information linking Mei Xia Dong and the 13 others to terrorism has been corroborated. The FBI remains interested in information on the remaining 13 persons identified in press releases issued on January 19 and 20, as follows: 1)      Zengrong Lin 2)      Wen Quin Zheng 3)      Xiujin Chen 4)      Guozhi Lin 5)      Yu Xian Weng , female, possible date of birth (DOB) 4/5/64 and Chinese passport #P5997636 or DOB 10/4/63 and Chinese passport #G07457027 6)      Qinquan Lin , or Qiquan Lin, male, possible DOB 3/6/83 and Chinese passport #G04152197 7)      Liqiang Liang, male, possible DOB 9/1/76 and Chinese passport #G07074257 8)      Min Xiu Xie, male, possible DOB 11/21/77 and Chinese passport #G08386268 9)      Xiang Wei Liu, or Xing Wei Liu, male, possible DOB 5/30/82 and Chinese passport #G053490L8 10)     Xiuming Chen, male 11)     Cheng Yin Liu, male 12)     Zao Yun Wang, male 13)     Jose Ernesto Beltran Quinones, male We ask that anyone with information about these individuals bring it to the attention of the FBI at (617) 742-5533; to their closest FBI office (contact information for field offices is located at http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm ); or to the FBI tipline at http://tips.fbi.gov. Again we want to stress to everyone that at this time the threat information is uncorroborated and of unknown reliability. All law enforcement agencies are working together to address the issue.

[Daaave]

"Anyone know about the technologies that go into detecting low flying airplanes?"

Yes, a little. I had a bro-in-law in AWACS, Gulf War 1.

I haven't heard or read about any planes with look-down capability, patroling (Except right after 911). Just talk about it. Of course that means nothing these days! I mean my not hearing about it.

But they may be patroling the borders and we are not aware of it. But, isn't it more probable that this plane was tracked on FAA radar at normal altitude because it had no flight plan, or was acting in a suspicious manner? Like it suddenly popped up on RADAR after low leval flying.

Many stories here in Florida about tracking the drug smugglers, as you can imagine. I like the infrared videos of planes/boats dumping out the bales.

I'm guessing this plane was treated the same as any unidentified plane would be treated, when Homeland Security is looking for Chinese illegals that may have radiological material in their posession.

I went to a Chinese buffet for dinner tonight. I love Chinese food.

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

If we had a 40,000 foot high fence across the border they couldn't have gotten over it.

FINALLY you're starting to see the light...

[daybreakcoming]

Hope you will update us. Too often IMO, we hear these things and then we never hear "the rest of the story". Kinda like being a mushroom.
And welcome to Free Republic. A most excellent but disturbing first post.

[bayourod]

"Mei Xia Dong was located in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility "

Well no wonder she couldn't pay the coyote the rest of the money she owed him. I bet he's kicking himself in the arse right now for turning her in and subjecting himself to exposure.

[bayourod]

"I love Chinese food. "

Chinese is easy to assimilate.

[Miss Marple]

Hmmm. I see that the 14 Chinese people has been confirmed.

I will check back on this tomorrow.

[Indie]

A hellfire would have worked quite nicely..and should be used frequently on planes sneaking across the border, if in fact this one was...LOL. KABOOM! [Ah but then no judge would be able to send them back to try again]