Posted on 01/08/2002 6:01:26 AM PST by expose
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:49 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Authorities will soon begin searching for thousands of Middle Eastern men in the United States who have disappeared after being ordered to leave the country, according to officials familiar with the operation.
The Justice Department has identified about 6,000 young men from the Middle East who have ignored deportation orders, and has decided to make the arrest and removal of them the highest priority among efforts to locate hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who have defied such rulings, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Sergio Bustos
Gannett News Service
Jan. 07, 2002
WASHINGTON - Not too long ago, U.S. and Mexican government officials were jetting back and forth between here and Mexico City, negotiating a deal that would allow millions of Mexicans to obtain temporary visas to live and work in the United States.
Mexican President Vicente Fox even challenged President Bush to finalize an agreement before the end of the year following a celebrated summit in early September.
Then came Sept. 11.
Talks were delayed indefinitely as the Bush administration focused its full attention on the global war against terrorism.
But at least one key administration official, Secretary of State Colin Powell, is raising hopes of finding common ground this year on an issue politically charged on both sides of the border.
"I am determined, the president is determined . . . to get back to this very important issue of regularizing the movement of Mexicans back and forth," Powell said during a recent interview with several U.S. media organizations, including Gannett News Service. "We haven't given up."
The issue is especially critical for Mexico because its economy relies on an estimated $9 billion sent home by Mexicans living in the United States.
They represent nearly a third of all legal immigrants and nearly half the nation's 6 million to 11 million illegal immigrants.
On a Christmas Day visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox told reporters he hoped an agreement could be reached during the first half of 2002. High-level talks among officials from State Department, the Attorney General's Office, and their Mexican counterparts had been active for months before Sept. 11.
Powell said the terrorist attacks represented a "diversion, a detour," but he promised negotiations would get back on track.
Powell said he and Jorge Castañeda, Mexico's foreign minister, plan to meet this month in Washington to talk about immigration and other issues. He emphasized that a pact is an administration priority this year.
Bush suggested the same last weekwhen he spoke from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
"We're looking at our immigration policies," he said. "We're looking at border policies, both with Canada and with Mexico." But lawmakers on Capitol Hill don't appear to share the administration's urgency in negotiating a deal with Mexico.
The Congressional Reform Caucus, chaired by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has increased its membership since September from a handful of lawmakers to 55. The caucus opposes a temporary worker program with Mexico and wants to abolish the INS.
Immigration experts also said another terrorist attack or higher unemployment rates would doom talks between the two countries.
My question is , why the hell were these people here in the first place? Why the hell aren't they apprehended and deported the very first time they violate the terms of their visits here?
jan 7 2002 By Joseph A. D'Agostino
© 2002 Human Events
Despite long-standing economic embargoes and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Iraqi and Libyan nationals still are being allowed into the United States on business and tourist visas.
A State Department spokeswoman told Human Events that other than undergoing more stringent background checks, involving a more extensive review of government databases to "weed out those who would do us harm," Iraqi and Libyan nationals are being granted U.S. business and tourist visas according to the same criteria applied to nationals of other countries.
"If they meet all the eligibilities, and they do not come up as a hit, they may receive a visa," she said.
Citizens of nations openly hostile to the United States or listed by the State Department as "sponsors of international terrorism" have long been receiving temporary visas to enter the United States. In fiscal year 2000, for example, Libyan nationals received 109 tourist visas, 22 business visas and 150 combination tourist-business visas. Tourist visas are issued not only to those seeking to visit Disneyland or Yosemite but also to those seeking superior U.S. medical treatment.
"We try to give maximum eligibility," said the State Department spokeswoman. "Some could say, 'Yes, I'm coming for a business trip but then I'm going to Disneyland.'" When all temporary U.S. visas are counted, including those for study, Libyans were granted 445 visas to visit the United States in fiscal 2000. This figure does not include applicants for permanent residency or asylum, which are handled by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The Sept. 11 hijackers were from countries with pro-U.S governments, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In fiscal 2000, 2,993 Iraqis received temporary visas to enter the United States. That included 660 tourist visas, 72 business visas and 1,515 combination tourist-business visas.
Nationals of another hostile state, North Korea, received 1,634 visas, including three tourist visas, 27 business visas and 1,443 combination business-tourist visas. The State Department lists Iraq, Libya and North Korea as sponsors of terrorism.
Iraq is the object of a UN embargo on almost all its trade. Libya is subject to a U.S. embargo on almost all trade. U.S. sanctions on North Korea were eased in June 2000.
Since the United States does not have diplomatic relations with these countries, and there are no U.S. consulates there, citizens of these states must travel to third countries to apply for U.S. visas. "London is a big place for third-country visa applications," said the spokeswoman.
In fact, nationals from all seven countries on State's list of state sponsors of terrorism – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan – can get U.S. visas and did in fiscal 2000 (see Human Events, Dec. 17, 2001, page 6).
The State Department spokeswoman would not reveal exactly who is coming in from these countries or why they are coming. But she said that some could be people fleeing oppressive regimes. "You have Libyans living in Canada," she said. "They could be refugees."
Asked for a breakdown of how many of these visa holders are family members of U.S. residents or refugees from persecution, she said, "We're not going to have that. We're not going to ask them what their status is. We're interested in what is your purpose in taking a trip to the United States."
Nationals from certain countries, such as Iraq, Libya and North Korea are subject to greater scrutiny to determine if there is evidence that a visa applicant poses a threat. "Even before September 11," said the spokeswoman, "we had a security advisory in place for nationals of certain countries."
The State Department will not reveal all the details of how it checks on people from hostile countries, but she said by way of example, that "people in specific professions are scrutinized." The State Department has a list of professions that trigger closer examination, such as those who work in the chemical industry or other industries that can produce weapons.
Support the Congressional Reform Caucus... 'cause the Administration is on the wrong side of this one.
Which means that there are probably a few thousand more who have not even received deportation orders yet because the INS is sleeping at the switch for the past 9 years...
Incredible!
Must clear the decks of potential domestic subversives before we beat the pulp out of Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Not a bad idea. The terrorists seemed to have a hundred aliases.
1.Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO)
Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) Congressman Richard Baker (R-LA) Congressman Johnny Isaakson (R-GA) Congressman James Barcia (D-MI) Congressman Bob Barr (R-GA) Congressman Ernest Istook (R-OK) Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX) Congressman Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) Congressman Allen Boyd (D-FL) Congressman Steve Largent (R-OK) Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) Congressman Charlie Norwood (R-GA) Congressman John Cooksey (R-LA) Congressman Butch Otter (R-ID) Congresswoman Barbara Cubin (R-WY) Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) Congressman David Phelps (D-IL) Congresswoman JoAnn Davis (R-VA) Congresswoman Marge Roukema (R-NJ) Congressman Nathan Deal (R-GA) Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) Congressman Jim DeMint (R-SC) Congressman Bob Schaffer (R-CO) Congressman John Doolittle (R-CA) Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) Congressman Jim Duncan (R-TN) Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT) Congressman Virgil Goode (I-VA) Congressman Michael Simpson (R-ID) Congressman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) Congressman Jim Greenwood (R-PA) Congressman Nick Smith (R-MI) Congressman Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) Congressman Bob Stump (R-AZ) Congressman Ralph Hall (D-TX) Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) Congressman Tony Hall (D-OH) Congressman Jim Traficant (D-OH) Congressman Joel Hefley (R-CO) Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL) Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL) Congressman Roger Wicker (R-MS) Congressman J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) Congressman David Vitter (R-LA)
Round them up and ship them out.
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