Posted on 02/08/2005 6:24:38 AM PST by txdoda
FEBRUARY 7, 2005 - Action 4 News undercover cameras catch Border Patrol agents dropping off illegal immigrants at a local bus station by the van load.
How do we know the immigrants are not possible terrorists? You'll soon find out we don't! Could this be a sign of border breakdown?
New Year's Eve morning agents pull up to the Valley Transit bus station in Harlingen, open the back of their van and a hand full of illegal immigrants jump out.
But that's just the beginning, six days later more illegal immigrants were set free, free to travel anywhere they want in the U.S. Why should you be concerned?
They are residents from what Homeland Security calls special interest countries - countries like Brazil and Argentina. The U.S. government has identified the countries as supporters of terrorism.
Luther Jones owns the Harlingen Valley Transit Bus Station.
"We offer them transportation via the bus to the destination they're traveling."
He says the unsupervised transportation of recently captured illegal immigrants is common.
"Immigrations will drop off, I call them entrepreneurs that are people seeking a better life. They come through the doors, we meet them and start them off with phone card, so they can call their family, if they're in need of money, we assist them with retrieving money through Western Union here at the bus station."
Some fear the illegal immigrants could be possible terrorists. Several U.S. Border Patrol agents who don't want to be identified tell Action 4 News they want people to know they're being told to drop off the immigrants at the bus station.
They say they do it at all times of the day. Even at night. The trips to the bus station they say just don't stop!
On January 17, the Border Patrol releases a dozen or so illegal immigrants. We're told they're from El Salvador.
Four months ago, law enforcement in El Salvador warned the U.S. that Al Qaeda may be recruiting gang members there.
"No, these people they're so friendly and it's such need is what I see coming through the door," Jones said.
On another day, Action 4 News cameras caught four men from Brazil sitting at the bus station.
Jones says they also entered the country illegally. He says they're waiting for family to wire them money for bus fare.
27 year-old Fernando Tello-Huila from southern Colombia doesn't have any problems telling his story.
He says he traveled to Matamoros and paid a coyote $900 to show him where and how to cross the Rio Grande. Coyotes are paid handsomely to smuggle immigrants illegally into the country.
Border agents apprehended Fernando in McAllen.
"The immigration police gave me the information fast so I could quickly get my permission to stay in the U.S.," said Tello-Huila.
Fernando's talking about his walking papers. Border agents say federal jails are so overcrowded, illegal immigrants without a criminal background may be released.
They're given a future court date to appear before an immigration judge and if they promise to appear, they're set free.
Fernando's court date is March 30 in Houston.
"I'm thankful for the services and information the agents provide to help me travel freely through out the United States."
The problem is nearly 70 percent of the illegal immigrants never show up for their court date.
Congressman Solomon Ortiz says the illegals then simply get lost in the government's red tape.
"They're not about to show up, they spend money, they paid money to the coyote to come across and then to be here two months and then show up to be sent back, that's not going to happen."
We showed Congressman Ortiz the video of border agents at the bus station.
We ask him "how do you know these guys are not possible terrorists?"
Ortiz answers, "there's no way because we do not have any records. We need to have records from the country they're coming from and I know there's no records. What I am trying now to establish, it has been an uphill battle, is to talk to the embassies in those countries to come up with a program where we can exchange information until we have that, we don't know who they are."
In approximately six months, 15,000 illegal immigrants have been released in Texas with only a promise to return for their court hearing.
Ortiz says it's hard for the government to keep track of them because they usually change their names or buy someone else's identity.
"A terrorist is not going to come through the border with a "T" on their forehead, we don't know who they are and this of course concerns me very very much."
Congressman Ortiz says he's going to take the video of the illegal immigrants to Washington. He says he going to show it to congress to show them the breakdown at the border.
What procedures does the Border Patrol follow before releasing illegal immigrants.
Border Patrol supervisor Roy Cervantes says before the agency releases anyone from a special interest country, agents make sure they don't have a criminal history.
He says they run extensive background checks including fingerprints through numerous FBI data bases. He admits there's always room for error.
Because of Action 4 News investigation, Cervantes says they're looking into a new way of releasing illegal immigrants.
"Well because of this, the media attention, we're always looking for ways to do things better. Sometimes doing the right thing is not always the popular thing, we're going to continue doing the right thing and that's protecting America and enforcing immigration laws in the U.S."
Cervantes was instructed by the Border Patrol in Washington D.C. not to talk about the number of illegal immigrants from special interest countries being released on a daily bases.
In March we'll find out if Fernando, who traveled to the U.S. from Colombia shows up for his court date in Houston.
Well, lets see.....
You have 'no comment' re: the topic of the thread. (thousands of OTM's released to roam free)
Another 'no comment' on the fact that Brazil & Argentina are indeed on our State Department's list of countries that are considered of "special interest".
Perhaps you should start a thread on "February Sweeps".
LOL - You probably did what most people who recognize what this is and used the word 'ILLEGAL' in your search instead of the MSM term 'IMMIGRANT'. Yeah, that might explain it. :-)
LOL - Your proposal is, sadly, not far from what I see going on. May as well get it out in the open and up front - And in the process undercut the Coyotes and make a few bucks. Not bad, not bad at all. /sarc :-)
LOL - You probably did what most people who recognize what this is and used the word 'ILLEGAL' in your search instead of the MSM term 'IMMIGRANT'. Yeah, that might explain it. :-)
The saddest part of this is that none of us is surprised by it.
Thanks for the heads up, Travis.
Why not open the borders? Because it's impossible to open something that is already open.
At a hog processing plant to my north, an illegal was apprehended, stayed out of work a week, and went back in - hired by another "Sub". My brother asked him, "Didn't you work for 'XXXXX'? Aren't you 'So-N-So'?", and he told me the boy replied "No, I never work before this company. I don't know he."
Until we put the felon employers out of business, things will never get any better.
ping
Anti-illegals Bump!
Call in a case of Mad-Hog to the Health Department...
I sent this to the president!
He won't care.
Makes you wonder why we even have a border patrol. If they are going to bother catching them, they could at least release them on the other side of the border.
Yeah, where is our Health Dept. concerning all these people simply being released to roam our country ???
Seems like an *easy* way for any illegals to also receive any *long term* or *expensive* medical treatment they might need.
I sent it to some of the media's.......hopefully we'll hear more about this issue.
In this case, these illegals are from countries other than Mexico & Mexico has *strict* laws that the USA must obey.
Hopefully no 'new recruit' terrorists (without criminal records) are choosing this path into the USA.......:o(
It's not up to the Agents, those orders come from Washington DC.
Welcome to the New World Order.
bump
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