BICE Arrests 27 Undocumented Workers At US Air Force Academy

BICE Press release ^ | July 15, 2003

[holyscroller]

The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), working with the Social Security Administration and Air Force Office of Special Investigations today arrested 27 foreign nationals working illegally at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/immigdaily/doj_news/2003,0716-employees.pdf

[holyscroller]

You can bet if they're at the Air Force Academy, they're also behind the scenes at West Point and Annapolis. Try visiting any of these academies, and you'll find yourself under intense scrutiny, but the illegals just march right in. Figgers!

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[holyscroller]

a military academy ping

[Tancredo Fan]

More......

44 accused of using fake IDs to work at Air Force Academy

By ROBERT WELLER
Associated Press Writer

AP-WS-07-15-03 1638EDT

DENVER (AP) - A federal grand jury indicted 44 people Tuesday for allegedly using fake green cards, Social Security badges and other false identification to work as contract employees at the Air Force Academy.

The workers included construction workers, landscapers and janitors hired by civilian contractors, said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. Twenty-seven people were arrested and the others were being sought.

The investigation began after an Air Force security guard spotted an apparently phony document, authorities said.

Although the academy near Colorado Springs is not a top-secret installation, ''it has a lot of symbolism that would make it an attractive target,'' said James Chaparro, special agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Denver.

He said valuable information about U.S. security methods also could be gained by infiltrating the academy. Authorities, however, have not accused the workers of espionage.

Federal agents have conducted more than 25 raids across the nation since the terrorist attacks, looking for illegal workers at secure federal installations and airports. Dozens have been charged.

There was no word of similar raids at the nation's other two military academies, at West Point, N.Y., and Annapolis, Md. Calls to U.S. attorneys near the two academies were not returned.

The academy workers, apparently all from Latin America, were caught as part of increased government security following the Sept. 11 attacks. Previously, contract employers had been responsible for verifying the credentials of employees.

The 27 people who were arrested held fraudulent green cards and counterfeit Social Security cards. They could face charges of misuse of a Social Security number, making a false statement and misuse of an identification card. Conviction on all three charges carries a penalty of up to nine years in prison.

The academy was among the first military installations in the state to set up a system using federal, military and civilian law enforcement personnel to check employee records, Dorschner said. Similar arrangements are being made elsewhere.

''We're pleased that Academy Security Forces were instrumental in facilitating today's law enforcement operation,'' said Col. John Miller, the academy's 10th Air Base Wing Commander.

Structures critical to U.S. security cannot be considered secure until the records of all workers are verified, U.S. Attorney John Suthers said. He said the academy should be applauded for tracking down the illegal workers.

''This nation simply cannot afford security vulnerabilities to exist in our critical infrastructure,'' Chaparro added.

---

On the Net:

Academy: http://www.usafa.af.mil

Immigration bureau: http://www.bice.immigration.gov

AP-WS-07-15-03 1638EDT

[caisson71]

Hey McCain, somebody should be fired!!

[Reaganwuzthebest]

As alarming as this story is, a few months back an illegal alien with fraudulent documents was caught inside the White House, I believe working or visiting. Who knows, could have been a terrorist.

The problem is as bad as it gets, and no country in the world puts up with it but us.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

What say you??


And...hi! (waves)

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Post number 7 was intended for you...duh.

[2111USMC]

BICE ???

Why is it that I have never heard of this organization?

[LiteKeeper]

You can bet if they're at the Air Force Academy, they're also behind the scenes at West Point and Annapolis

Except, we, here in Colorado Springs, are very close to the Mexican border. We are one of the main routes into the States for "illegals." Very high density of "illegals" here.

[clockwork]

BICE ??? Why is it that I have never heard of this organization?

As of March 1, 2003 the former Immigration & Naturalizaiton Service was shifted from the Justice Department to Homeland Security and broken up into three bureaus. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("BICE") is the agency charged with rounding up illegals, etc.

[LiteKeeper]

Hey Sunflower! How are you?

Would you believe I can see the Academy from my back deck? I am up there three or four times a week. Talk about a story being close to home.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

27 Job Openings for U.S. Citizens!
Apply at the Air Force Academy for jobs in Construction, Landscaping and Building Maintenance.

[FreedomCalls]

Hey all you unemployed, there are now 27 44 jobs open at the Air Force Academy.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Same report but on Channel 9 news here in Denver. Read the last paragraph. Our laws have teeth but no one is enforcing them. Bush? Hello, Bush???

 

<!null W>Grand jury indicts 44 for using false ids to work at Air Force Academy Written By: Susan Wells

<!null W>created: July 15, 2003 - 11:15 AM updated: July 15, 2003 - 8:12 PM

RELATED DENVER - A federal grand jury in Denver has indicted 44 people for using fake green cards and false IDs to obtain access to the Air Force Academy. Agents arrested 27 of the 44 Tuesday morning.   The employees were contract laborers at the academy, doing construction janitorial and maintenance-type work. According to the accusation, they used the fake IDs to get on the base to do their jobs. Since Sept. 11, military installations across the country, including the academy, have increased security, specifically access. Previous to 9-1-1, contractors were responsible for verifying the credentials of their employees, but now the military has taken a more proactive approach to allowing access to base. "No facility that is part of the critical infrastructure of the United States can be considered secure unless the identity of the people working there is fully ascertained and those presenting fraudulent information and documentation in order to gain access to that facility are removed," United States Attorney John Suthers said. "Those who illegally gain access to these sensitive installations must be taken to task." Contract employees' paperwork is also checked and their criminal records reviewed as a part of the process of issuing security credentials. This is not the first operation in the area. Last September, over 100 people working at Denver International Airport were indicted for using fake social security numbers to get jobs and clearance at the airport. In March, at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, 30 people were taken into custody from three construction sites on base. The Air Force Academy was among the first military installations in Colorado to set up a system using law enforcement personnel to check employee records. Structures critical to U.S. security cannot be considered secure until the records of all workers are verified, Suthers said. He said the academy should be applauded for tracking down the illegal workers. "We're pleased that Academy Security Forces were instrumental in facilitating today's law enforcement operation," said Col. John Miller, the academy's 10th Air Base Wing Commander. It is anticipated that Tuesday's actions will not be the last on this scale in the state of Colorado. The investigation was conducted by the Air Force Academy, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Misuse of a social security number, making a false statement, and misuse of an identification card each carry a penalty of up to 5 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine. Use of a False Identification Card carries a penalty of up to 3 years in federal prison, and/or a fine of up to $250,000, and Possession of a False Identification Card carries a penalty of up to 1 year in federal prison, and/or a $100,000 fine.

 

[2111USMC]

Thanks for the info.

I suspected that it had to do with homeland security. However, I wasn't aware that the INS had been divided.