Threat Matrix: February 2008

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/zimbabwe/

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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080304-6.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 4, 2008

Notice: Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe

White House News

On March 6, 2003, by Executive Order 13288, I declared a national emergency and blocked the property of persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 1706). I took this action to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions. These actions have contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, politically motivated violence and intimidation, and political and economic instability in the southern African region. On November 22, 2005, I issued Executive Order 13391 to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 by ordering the blocking of the property of additional persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.

Because the actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2003, and the measures adopted on that date and on November 22, 2005, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2008. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

March 4, 2008.

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ADDING 1 link to post no. 1576:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980981/posts

“’WAR HAS BEGUN,’ SAYS VENEZUELA”
NY Post ^ | 3-5-08 | TOBY MUSE
Posted on 03/05/2008 3:10:27 PM PST by dynachrome

SNIPPET: “Venezuela’s justice minister declared that war “has already begun.””

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/megiddo/
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ummelfahm/

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980988/posts

“Arab MKs Lead Rock-Throwing Demo Against ‘ZioNazis’”
Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews ^ | 3/6/8 | Gil Ronen
Posted on 03/05/2008 3:25:30 PM PST by SmithL

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Several thousand Arabs led by Arab nationalist Knesset members participated in a procession through the Israeli city of Umm el-Fahm near Megiddo Tuesday evening.”

Umm el-Fahm near Megiddo

Apocalyptic, this could be part of the stirring up of a intifada to coincide with action by the hezzies and/or hamies.

Yes.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://newhaven.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2008/abujihaad030508.htm

United States Attorney’s Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

March 5, 2008

JURY FINDS FORMER MEMBER OF U.S. NAVY GUILTY OF TERRORISM AND ESPIONAGE CHARGES

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and other federal officials today announced that a federal jury in New Haven, Connecticut, has found Hassan Abu-Jihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, guilty of providing material support of terrorism and disclosing previously classified information relating to the national defense. The verdict was returned this afternoon. The trial before United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz began on February 25.

“We are very pleased with today’s verdict, and I am proud of the outstanding work of the agents, analysts and prosecutors involved,” stated U.S. Attorney O’Connor. “This verdict demonstrates loudly and clearly that we will seek to hold accountable anyone responsible for providing classified information to those who intend to use it in a manner against our national interests.”

According to the evidence provided at trial, in 2001, four or five months after the October 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole, Abu-Jihaad provided classified information regarding the movements of a United States Navy battle group, which was charged with enforcing sanctions against the Taliban and engaging in missions against Al Qaeda, to Azzam Publications, a London-based organization that is alleged to have provided material support and resources to persons engaged in acts of terrorism through the creation and use of various internet web sites, e-mail communications, and other means, including www.azzam.com. Between approximately February 2000 and the end of 2001, the web site www.azzam.com was hosted on the computer web servers of a web hosting company located in Trumbull, Connecticut. At the time the classified information was disclosed to Azzam Publications, Abu-Jihaad was an enlistee in the United States Navy on active duty in the Middle East and was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Benfold, one of the ships in the battle group whose movements were disclosed.

“In the post 9/11 world, our challenge is to identify, investigate and apprehend those who would compromise our national security in the name of violent jihadism,” said Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “Today’s verdict demonstrates that our agents and prosecutors met that challenge with dedication and professionalism. We are all very proud of their efforts.”

Evidence presented at trial indicated that, in December 2003, British law enforcement officers recovered a computer floppy disk in a residence of one of the operators of Azzam Publications. Forensic analysis of the disk disclosed a password-protected Microsoft Word document setting forth previously classified information regarding the upcoming movements of a U.S. Naval battle group as it was to transit from San Diego to its deployment in the Persian Gulf in 2001. The document went on to discuss the battle group’s perceived vulnerability to terrorist attack.

“We are extremely gratified with the jury’s guilty verdict today,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The evidence in this case showed that Hassan Abu-Jihaad provided classified information to terrorists which could have been used to kill American sailors. Revealing information about U.S. troop movements is clearly a terrible threat to our national security and ICE and our law enforcement partners will use all resources to protect American lives from terrorist organizations.”

According to the evidence at trial, subsequent investigation uncovered several email exchanges from late 2000 to late 2001 between members of Azzam Publications and Abu-Jihaad, including discussions regarding videos Abu-Jihaad ordered from Azzam Publications that promoted violent jihad and extolled the virtues of martyrdom; a small donation of money Abu-Jihaad made to Azzam Publications; and whether it was “safe” to send materials to Abu-Jihaad at his military address onboard the U.S.S. Benfold. In another email exchange with Azzam Publications, Abu-Jihaad described a recent force protection briefing given aboard his ship, voiced enmity toward America, praised Usama bin Laden and the mujahideen, praised the October 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole-which Abu-Jihaad described as a “martyrdom operation,”-and advised the members of Azzam Publications that such tactics were working and taking their toll. The email response from Azzam Publications encouraged Abu-Jihaad to “keep up... the psychological warefare [sic].”

“This case is an example of the strong international law enforcement cooperation that is required to successfully investigate and prosecute an individual who has provided material support to terrorists,” stated Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Connecticut. “The information passed by Abu-Jihaad related to the national defense and, fortunately, it was not utilized to carry out an attack on the Battle Group as it passed through the Straits of Hormuz. The success of this investigation required a significant commitment of resources from ICE, FBI, NCIS, DCIS, IRS, the New Haven Joint Terrorism Task Force, and New Scotland Yard.

The evidence at trial also indicated that Abu-Jihaad’s contact information-namely, his Navy email account-was among the few saved in an Azzam Publications online address book.

“Mr. Abu-Jihaad jeopardized the lives of countless American servicemen and women and, as a member of the U.S. Navy, his conduct was shameful and deceitful,” stated Kathryn A. Feeney, Resident Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “However, due to the efforts of a talented team of investigators and prosecutors, Mr. Abu-Jihaad has been held accountable for his aid to the enemy. For the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, no calling is higher than the protection of our American Warfighters.”

The evidence at trial included the testimony of six Navy witnesses indicating, among other things, that as a Signalman in the Navigation Division of the U.S.S. Benfold during the 2001 deployment, Abu-Jihaad had access to certain classified information, including advance knowledge of the battle group’s movements.

“This conviction is a major success for our agency’s number one priority, which is combating terrorism,” stated NCIS Deputy Director for Operations Gregory A.Scovel. “This case is a prime example of how investigations involving multiple federal agencies can be worked in the true spirit of cooperation to positively impact U.S. National Security.”

The evidence at trial also included court-authorized wiretap recordings, during which Abu-Jihaad used coded conversation to refer to jihad; admonished others not to speak openly about jihad over the phone or on the Internet because it was “tapped”; and discussed having conversations with associates using a shredder and after frisking them for electronic components. The calls played for the jury also included Abu-Jihaad’s use of the terms “hot meals” and “cold meals” in reference to his current and former ability, respectively, to provide inside information or intelligence about potential U.S. military targets. Abu-Jihaad told an associate that he “hadn’t been on that job in X amount of years…to see…what the fresh meal is,” and in 2006, told another associate that he had not “been in the field of making meals” for over four years. The evidence established that Abu-Jihaad had left the U.S. Navy in 2002.

“The IRS partnership with the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force includes the ability to follow monetary transactions around the world and also the ability to acquire and analyze digital evidence by applying our computer forensic skills,” stated Douglas Bricker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation.

Judge Kravitz has scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2008, at which time Abu-Jihaad faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor commended the substantial efforts and cooperation of the several federal law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Haven, Phoenix and Chicago; the United States Attorney’s Offices in Phoenix and Chicago; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the Internal Revenue Service’ Electronic Crimes Program. U.S. Attorney O’Connor also praised the substantial efforts of law enforcement authorities from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter-Terrorism Command within New Scotland Yard, whose efforts and assistance have been essential in the investigation of this matter.

This case is being pursued by a Task Force out of Connecticut consisting of law enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service’s Electronic Crimes Program; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The case is being prosecuted by a team of federal prosecutors including Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen Reynolds and William Nardini from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, Trial Attorney Alexis Collins from the Counter-Terrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division in Washington and Trial Attorney Rick Green from the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist David Heath.

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/detroit030408.html

“Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Possession of Meth and Rifle
Possessed an AR-15 Rifle and 94 Grams of Substance Containing Meth”

MAR 4 —LOUISVILLE, KY

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/sanfran030408.html

“Guilty Plea in One of the Largest Seizures of
Crack Cocaine in Sacramento History
Defendant Supplied Drug Dealers in Del Paso Heights, Oak Park, Meadowview and Dos Rios Public Housing Complex in Downtown Sacramento”

MAR 4

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/testimony/testimony_1204746985090.shtm

Testimony of Secretary Michael Chertoff before the House Committee on the Judiciary
Release Date: March 5, 2008
Rayburn House Office Building
(Remarks as Prepared)

Chairman Conyers, Ranking Member Smith, and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for inviting me to appear before the Committee to discuss the Department’s progress in securing our homeland and protecting the American people. At the outset, I’d like to thank the Committee for its past support of the Department and your continued guidance as we take aggressive steps to achieve our mission.

As you know, on March 1st we reached an important milestone with the five-year anniversary of the Department’s creation. In those five years, we have acted with great urgency and clarity of purpose to meet our five priority goals, which are protecting our nation from dangerous people, protecting our nation from dangerous goods, protecting critical infrastructure, strengthening emergency preparedness and response, and continuing to integrate the Department’s management and operations.

Today I would like to focus my attention on one of those goals, namely protecting our nation from dangerous people. In particular, I would like to discuss the Department’s efforts with respect to the critical issue of immigration. As you know, we are a nation of immigrants and our country draws tremendous strength from the fact that people all over the world choose the United States to live and work and raise their families. But we are also a nation of laws, and illegal immigration threatens our national security, challenges our sovereignty, and undermines the rule of law.

We remain committed to doing everything within our power and within the law to promote legal immigration and to end illegal immigration. For this reason, on August 10, 2007, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and I announced a set of 26 reforms the Administration would immediately pursue to address our nation’s immigration challenges within existing law. We have been aggressively pursuing this agenda since then, as my testimony will illustrate.

Today I would like to summarize the Department’s efforts across five key areas:
Strengthening border security through greater deployment of infrastructure, manpower, and technology;
Enhancing interior enforcement at worksites, providing new tools to employers, and identifying and arresting fugitives, criminals, and illegal alien gang members;
Making temporary worker programs more effective;
Improving the current immigration system; and
Assimilating new immigrants into our civic culture and society.

In each category, you will see clear progress over the past year, reflecting our determination to make a down-payment on credibility with the American people and to meet their rising demands to secure the border and tighten immigration enforcement.

But I want to emphasize at the outset that despite our substantial gains over the past year, enforcement alone will not permanently solve this problem. As long as the opportunity for higher wages and a better life draws people across the border illegally or encourages them to remain in our country illegally, we will continue to face a challenge securing the border and enforcing immigration laws in the interior. For this reason, I remain hopeful that Congress will once again work together to take up this issue and provide a solution that will fix this long-standing problem.

I. Strengthening Border Security

I would like to begin today by discussing our efforts to secure the border through installation of tactical infrastructure, including pedestrian and vehicle fencing; hiring and training new Border Patrol agents; and deploying a range of technology to the border, including cameras, sensors, unmanned aerial systems, and ground-based radar.

Pedestrian and Vehicle Fencing

We made a commitment to build 670 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing on the Southern border by the end of this calendar year to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants, drugs, and vehicles. We are on pace to meet that commitment. We have built 302.4 miles of fence, including 167.7 miles of pedestrian fence and 134.7 miles of vehicle fence.

In building this fence, we have sought the cooperation of land owners, state and local leaders, and members of border communities. We are willing to listen to any concerns communities have with respect to fence construction and we are willing to seek reasonable alternatives provided the solution meets the operational needs of the Border Patrol.

For example, in February of this year, I traveled to Hidalgo County, Texas, to meet with county leaders who were planning to build a levee along the Rio Grande River for purposes of flood control. Although we still need help from Congress, we were able to negotiate an agreement to design our fence plans in coordination with their levee construction, allowing us to effectively satisfy two goals at the same time.

Though we will try to accommodate landowner concerns, we cannot indefinitely delay our efforts or engage in endless debate when national security requires that we build the fence. Moreover, in areas where we have used our authority to waive certain environmental laws that threaten to impede our progress, we have done so only after the necessary environmental studies have occurred and we have taken reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of our construction. Of course, we will provide appropriate compensation for any property the federal government acquires through the process of eminent domain.

U.S. Border Patrol

Fencing is an important element of a secure border, but it does not provide a total solution. For this reason, we also have continued to expand the Border Patrol to guard our nation’s frontline and respond to incursions with speed and agility.

Over the past year, we have accelerated recruitment, hiring, and training of Border Patrol agents. 15,439 Border Patrol agents are currently on board and we will have over 18,000 agents by the end of this year – more than twice as many as when President Bush took office. This represents the largest expansion of the Border Patrol in its history, and we have grown the force without sacrificing the quality of training the Border Patrol Academy prides itself on delivering.

As an additional force multiplier, we continue to benefit from the support of the National Guard under Operation Jump Start. This has been an extremely fruitful partnership. We are grateful to the Department of Defense as well as governors across the United States for allowing us to leverage the National Guard in support of our border security mission.

Technology and SBInet

A third critical element of border security is technology. While not a panacea, technology allows us to substantially expand our coverage of the border, more effectively identify and resolve incursions, and improve Border Patrol response time.

Over the past year, we have deployed additional technology as part of our Secure Border Initiative (SBI), which includes the development of the Project 28 (P-28) prototype in Arizona to test our ability to integrate several border technologies into a unified system. There has been some confusion about the purpose of the P-28 prototype and its role in the Department’s larger efforts at the border. Allow me to put P-28 into its appropriate context.
P-28 was designed to be a demonstration of critical technologies and system integration under the broader SBInet initiative. Specifically, its purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of the SBInet technical approach developed by the contractor, Boeing, and to show that this type of technology could be deployed to help secure the Southwest border. After successful field testing, we formally accepted P-28 from Boeing on February 21st of this year. We have a system that is operational and has already assisted in identifying and apprehending more than 2,000 illegal aliens trying to cross the border since December.

It is important, however, to recognize that different segments of the border require different approaches and solutions. A P-28-like system would be neither cost-effective nor necessary everywhere on the border. Accordingly, we are building upon lessons learned to develop a new border-wide architecture that will incorporate upgraded software, mobile surveillance systems, unattended ground sensors, unmanned and manned aviation assets, and an improved communication system to enable better connectivity and system performance.

As part of our broader SBI effort, we are continuing to deploy additional assets and technology along both the southern and northern borders. This includes a fourth unmanned aerial system, with plans to bring two more on-line this fiscal year. One of these systems will be operating on the northern border. We also anticipate expanding our ground-based mobile surveillance systems from six to forty. And we will acquire 2,500 additional unattended ground sensors this fiscal year, with 1,500 of those planned for deployment on the northern border and 1,000 on the southwest border. These will supplement the more than 7,500 ground sensors currently in operation. To continue to support these kinds of technology investments, we have requested $775 million in funding as part of the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

Metrics of Success

Have these efforts achieved their desired impact? If we look at the decline in apprehension rates over the past year and third-party indicators such as a decrease in remittances to Mexico, the answer is unquestionably yes.

For Fiscal Year 2007, CBP reported a 20 percent decline in apprehensions across the Southern border, suggesting fewer illegal immigrants are attempting to enter our country. This trend has continued. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2008, Southwest border apprehensions were down 16 percent, and nationwide they were down 18 percent over the same period the previous year.

Through programs like Operation Streamline, we have achieved even greater decreases in apprehension rates in certain sectors. Under Operation Streamline, individuals caught illegally crossing the border in designated high-traffic zones are not immediately returned across the border. Instead, they are detained and prosecuted prior to removal. In the Yuma sector, for example, apprehension rates dropped nearly 70 percent in Fiscal Year 2007 after we initiated Operation Streamline. In the first quarter of this year, the Department of Justice prosecuted 1,200 cases in Yuma alone. And in Laredo, we experienced a reduction in apprehensions of 33 percent in the program’s first 45 days.

In addition to the decline in apprehensions, our frontline personnel also prevented record amounts of illegal drugs from entering the United States last year. In Fiscal Year 2007, CBP officers seized 3.2 million pounds of narcotics at and between our official ports of entry. Keeping these drugs out of our country not only protects the border, but it protects cities and communities where these drugs may have ultimately been sold or distributed.

Unfortunately, there is another sign our efforts at the border are succeeding: an increase in violence against the Border Patrol, up 31 percent in Fiscal Year 2007. Last month, for example, the Border Patrol discovered a piece of wire that had been stretched across a road between double fencing so it could be pulled tight to seriously harm or kill an agent riding on an all-terrain vehicle. We will not tolerate violence against our agents. The Border Patrol is authorized to use force as necessary and appropriate to protect themselves.

Ports of Entry

Of course, it makes little sense to secure the long stretches of border between our official ports of entry if we continue to have possible gaps in border security at the ports of entry themselves.

Since the Department’s creation, we have continued to make major advances to prevent dangerous people from entering our country through official ports of entry. We have fully implemented US-VISIT two-fingerprint capabilities at all U.S. ports of entry. The State Department has deployed 10 fingerprint capabilities to all U.S. consulates overseas. We also have begun deploying 10 fingerprint capabilities to select U.S. airports, with the goal of full deployment to airports by the end of this calendar year.

As you know, US-VISIT checks a visitor’s fingerprints against records of immigration violators and FBI records of criminals and known or suspected terrorists. Checking biometrics against immigration and criminal databases and watch lists helps officers make visa determinations and admissibility decisions. Collecting 10 fingerprints also improves fingerprint-matching accuracy and our ability to compare a visitor’s fingerprints against latent fingerprints collected by the Department of Defense and the FBI from known and unknown terrorists all over the world.

In January of this year, we also ended the routine practice of accepting oral declarations of citizenship and identity at our land and sea ports of entry. People entering our country, including U.S. citizens, are now asked to present documentary evidence of their citizenship and identity. Not only will this help to reduce the number of false claims of U.S. citizenship, but it reduces the more than 8,000 different documents our CBP officers must currently assess. By requiring a narrower set of documents, we are able to improve security and efficiency at the ports of entry, and create an effective transition period for implementation of the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in June 2009.

I might add that we implemented these most recent changes in travel document requirements without causing discernable increases in wait times at the border. Compliance rates are high and continue to increase. U.S. and Canadian citizens are presenting the requested documents when crossing the border. This is a great “non-news” story, demonstrating that we can improve security at the ports of entry without sacrificing convenience.

II. Enhancing Interior Enforcement

Our second major area of focus is interior enforcement, which includes targeted worksite enforcement operations across the United States; increasing fines and penalties against those who break the law; providing better tools to help employers maintain a stable, legal workforce; and identifying, arresting, and removing fugitives, criminals, and illegal alien gang members who pose a threat to the American people.

In Fiscal Year 2007, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed or returned more than 280,000 illegal aliens as part of a comprehensive interior enforcement strategy focused on more efficient processing of apprehended illegal aliens and reducing the criminal and fugitive alien populations.
This strategy has resulted in sustained advances across multiple areas of ICE’s mission, including the continuation of “catch and return,” a reengineered and more effective detention and removal system, and new agreements with foreign countries to ensure prompt and efficient repatriation of their citizens, including most recently a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam signed on January 22, 2008.

Worksite Enforcement

Fiscal Year 2007 represented a banner year for ICE’s worksite enforcement efforts. ICE made 4,077 administrative arrests and 863 criminal arrests in targeted worksite enforcement operations across the country. Ninety-two of those arrested for criminal violations were in the employer’s supervisory chain and 771 were other employees.

The majority of the employee criminal arrests were for identity theft. The employer criminal arrests included illegal hiring, harboring, conspiracy, and identity theft. Some cases also included money laundering charges.
Some recent worksite enforcement cases include:
Universal Industrial Sales, Inc: On February 7, 2008, fifty-seven illegal aliens were arrested during a worksite enforcement operation conducted at Universal Industrial Sales Inc. (UIS) in Lindon, Utah. ICE forwarded roughly 30 cases to the Utah County Attorney’s Office for possible criminal prosecution for offenses such as identity theft, forgery, and document fraud. On the federal side, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah unsealed two indictments charging the company and its human resource director with harboring illegal aliens and encouraging or inducing workers to stay in the United States illegally.

George’s Processing: In January of 2008, a federal jury convicted a former human resources employee at George’s Processing – a poultry plant in Butterfield, Missouri – of harboring an illegal alien and inducing an illegal alien to enter or reside in the United States. Under federal statutes, this individual is facing up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Another former employee recently pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. A total of 136 illegal aliens were arrested as part of this investigation into identity theft, Social Security fraud, and immigration-related violations at the plant.
RCI Incorporated: In October of 2007, the former President of RCI Incorporated – a nationwide cleaning service – pled guilty to harboring illegal aliens and conspiring to defraud the United States. He will pay restitution to the United States in an amount expected to exceed $16 million. He also agreed to forfeit bank accounts, life insurance policies, and currency totaling more than $1.1 million for knowingly hiring illegal aliens.

Stucco Design Inc.: On March 7, 2007, the owner of an Indiana business that performed stucco-related services at construction sites in seven Midwest states pled guilty to violations related to the harboring of illegal aliens. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and forfeited $1.4 million in ill-gotten gains.

Michael Bianco, Inc.: On March 6, 2007, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a textile product company owner and three other managers were arrested and charged with conspiring to encourage or induce illegal aliens to reside in the United States and conspiring to hire illegal aliens. Another person was charged in a separate complaint with the knowing transfer of fraudulent identification documents. Approximately 360 illegal workers were arrested on administrative charges as part of the operation, representing more than half of the company’s workforce.

These are the kinds of cases that have high impact on those who would hire and employ undocumented and illegal aliens often facilitated through identity theft and document fraud.

Increasing Fines Against Employers

As a further disincentive to hire illegal aliens, we have partnered with the Department of Justice to increase civil fines on employers by approximately 25 percent, which is the maximum we can do under existing law. This action was one of the 26 administrative reforms we announced in August and is intended to change behavior and hold unscrupulous employers accountable for their actions.

Expanding Workforce Tools

As we are holding employers accountable for breaking the law, we are also providing honest employers with an expanded set of tools to maintain a stable, legal workforce.

We are moving ahead with supplemental rule-making to our No-Match Rule published last year. As you may know, this rule provided a safe harbor for employers that followed a clear set of procedures in response to receiving a Social Security Administration Employer No-Match Letter that indicated a potential problem with an employee’s records, or receiving a Department of Homeland Security letter regarding employment verifications. Unfortunately, the American Civil Liberties Union and others have sued the Department to stop the rule from taking effect. We have made progress in addressing the judge’s concerns through additional rulemaking and we will be publishing an updated proposed rule in the near future.

We are also working to promote the use of E-Verify, an on-line system administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows employers to check, in most cases within seconds, whether an employee is authorized to work in the United States. Some states have begun to require employers to enroll in E-Verify, most notably Arizona, where the system is adding about 1,000 new users per week. Nationally, we are adding 1,800 new E-verify users per week. More than 54,000 employers are currently enrolled, compared to 24,463 at the end of Fiscal Year 2007, and nearly 2 million new hires have been queried this fiscal year. We are expanding outreach to Georgia and will be working in other states to increase participation. To support this work, we have requested $100 million in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

We recognize no system is perfect, and there have been some reports of employers misusing E-Verify. For this reason, we are establishing a robust monitoring and compliance unit to check employers’ use of E-Verify and respond to situations where employers use the system in a discriminatory or otherwise unlawful manner. We are also increasing our outreach to employers and the American public to ensure that employers and employees understand their respective rights and obligations.

E-Verify is a critical program that businesses across our country rely upon to obtain quick, accurate information about a worker’s legal status. It is important that Congress take the appropriate action to reauthorize E-Verify this year so that employers can continue to benefit from this valuable system.
Finally, the federal government will continue to lead by example. In the near future, the Administration will issue a proposed rule requiring federal contractors to use E-Verify. As there are more than 200,000 companies doing business with the federal government, this will significantly expand the use of E-Verify and make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain jobs through fraud.

Boosting State, Local, and International Cooperation

Of course, while immigration enforcement is primarily a federal responsibility, we also work with state and local law enforcement who want to participate in our immigration enforcement efforts by receiving training and contributing to joint federal, state, local, and international law enforcement initiatives.

Much of this work is organized through the ICE Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ICE ACCESS) program, which includes training under the 287(g) program, participation in Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST) and Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces (DBFTF).

Through the 287(g) program, ICE delegates enforcement powers to state and local agencies who serve as force multipliers in their communities. As of September 30, 2007, ICE has signed 38 memoranda of agreement (MOAs) with state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in the program. Last year, ICE trained 426 state and local officers. In the program’s last two years, it has identified more than 26,000 illegal aliens for potential deportation.

ICE also has continued to expand its BEST teams to work cooperatively with domestic and foreign law enforcement counterparts to dismantle criminal organizations operating near the border. In Fiscal Year 2007, ICE launched new BEST teams in El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley, and in San Diego, bringing the total number of teams to five. These task forces have been responsible for 519 criminal arrests and 1,145 administrative arrests of illegal aliens, the seizure of 52,518 pounds of marijuana and 2,066 pounds of cocaine, 178 vehicles, 12 improvised explosive devices, and more than $2.9 million in U.S. currency.

ICE DBFTFs are a strong law enforcement presence that combats fraud utilizing existing manpower and authorities. Through comprehensive criminal investigations, successful prosecutions, aggressive asset forfeiture and positive media, the DBFTFs detect, deter and dismantle organizations that facilitate fraud. The task forces promote the sharing of information, ensure the integrity of our laws, and uphold public safety. In April 2007, ICE formed six new task forces, bringing the total number of DBFTFs to 17. These task forces have been responsible for 804 criminal convictions and 1,917 seizures worth more than $8 million in value.

Targeting Fugitives, Criminals, and Gang Members

Finally, our interior enforcement efforts have focused on identifying, arresting, and removing fugitives, criminals, and illegal alien gang members in our country.

In Fiscal Year 2007, ICE Fugitive Operations Teams arrested 30,407 individuals, nearly double the number of arrests in Fiscal Year 2006. The teams, which quintupled in number from 15 to 75 between 2005 and 2007, identify, locate, arrest and remove aliens who have failed to depart the United States pursuant to a final order of removal, deportation, or exclusion; or who have failed to report to a Detention and Removal Officer after receiving notice to do so. In Fiscal Year 2008, Congress authorized an additional 29 teams. Fugitive Operations Teams have arrested more than 10,000 individuals this year.

ICE also expanded its Criminal Alien Program (CAP) in Fiscal Year 2007, initiating formal removal proceedings on 164,000 illegal aliens serving prison terms for crimes they committed in the United States. ICE has already initiated more than 55,000 formal removal proceedings against additional criminal aliens in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2008. ICE is developing a comprehensive strategic plan to better address CAP.

In addition, in Fiscal Year 2007 ICE arrested 3,302 gang members and their associates as part of Operation Community Shield. This total includes 1,442 criminal arrests. For Fiscal Year 2008, ICE has arrested 723 gang members and their associates, which is a 34 percent increase over the same period last year.

As an added layer of protection against the entry of known gang members, we have worked with the Department of State to expand the list of known organized street gangs whose members are barred from entry into the United States. This action will ensure that any active member of a known street gang from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, or Mexico will be denied a visa.
In all of these enforcement operations, we work cooperatively with state and local law enforcement to make sure we achieve our purpose with minimal disruption to surrounding communities. We also work with community organizations to ensure that children of illegal immigrants directly impacted by these operations are treated humanely and given appropriate care according to established protocols.

III. Making Temporary Worker Programs More Effective

When Secretary Gutierrez and I announced the 26 reforms to strengthen border security and immigration last August, we noted the importance of improving the effectiveness of existing temporary worker programs to ensure the needs of our country’s labor force continue to be met.

One of the consequences of our stepped-up enforcement has been that some economic sectors in our country have experienced labor shortages, most notably the agricultural sector. Of the 1.2 million agricultural workers in the United States, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 are here illegally. This is not an argument for lax enforcement. Rather, we need to make sure our temporary worker programs are effective. To this end, we have joined the Department of Labor in proposing changes to modernize the H-2A seasonal agricultural worker program to remove unnecessarily burdensome restrictions on participation by employers and foreigners, while protecting the rights of laborers.

Under our proposed rule, which we announced in February, an employer will only need to identify an H-2A worker by name in its petition if the worker is already in the United States, even if there is only one worker. It is unreasonable to expect - given the realities of labor recruitment in the agricultural industry - that an agricultural employer in the U.S. would know the names of all the workers it hires from abroad. We have proposed to extend the amount of time a worker can remain in the United States after the end of his or her employment from 10 days to 30 days. This will make it easier for H-2A workers to extend their stay through a job with a new agricultural employer.

In addition, we have proposed to shorten the time period that a worker must wait outside our country before U.S. agricultural employers may petition again for that worker. Currently, workers must wait six months after their H-2A status expires before they can return. We want to cut that time in half to three months.

Of course, while it is important to make the H-2A process as flexible as possible for U.S. agricultural employers, we also want to protect workers. Our proposal requires an employer to attest, under penalty of perjury, that it will not materially change the scope of the foreign worker’s duties and place of employment. This will help prevent the employment of H-2A workers in a manner different from what the employer stated on the petition. Employers will also be required to identify any labor recruiter they used to locate foreign workers to fill the H-2A positions. And employers and labor recruiters will be prohibited from imposing fees on foreign workers as a condition for H-2A sponsorship.

To ensure that we have appropriate law enforcement and security measures in place, we are also seeking to prohibit the approval of H-2A petitions for nationals of countries that consistently refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation of their citizens that we are trying to remove from the United States. We are requiring employers to notify us within 48 hours if an H-2A employee is fired or absconds from a worksite.

Finally, we are seeking to implement a land border exit pilot program for certain H-2A guest workers, requiring the temporary workers to register their departure through designated ports of departure before exiting the country. The objective is to ensure that temporary workers in the United States comply with the requirement to leave the country when their work authorization expires.

In addition to these proposed modifications to the H-2A program, we continue to work with federal partners on a number of other reforms announced last August to improve our temporary worker programs. These include reforms of the H-2B program for temporary or seasonal non-agricultural workers; an extension from 1 year to 3 years of the period that professional workers from Canada and Mexico may stay in the U.S. under the TN visa program; and potential improvements to visa programs for high-skilled workers. We will continue to keep the Committee apprised as these efforts proceed.

IV. Improving Existing Immigration Processes

As we take steps to meet the lawful needs of our economy, we are also working to improve existing immigration benefits and services for those seeking to live in, work in, or immigrate to the United States.

As you know, USCIS has faced a challenge keeping pace with unprecedented levels of citizenship applications. During Fiscal Year 2007, USCIS received 1.4 million requests for citizenship, which is nearly double the 730,000 received in Fiscal Year 2006. In June, July, and August 2007 alone, it received more than 3 million immigration benefit applications and petitions of all types, compared to 1.8 million during the same period the previous year. In fact, for the months of June and July 2007, the spike in naturalization applications represents a 360 percent increase compared to the same period in 2006. We anticipate that it will take 16 to 18 months to work through these citizenship cases. The normal processing time is seven months.

Much of this spike in citizenship applications came in anticipation of an increase in application processing fees that USCIS implemented in July 2007 to add needed resources and capacity to its operations. USCIS is a fee-funded agency and draws its operating expenses from the fees it collects from applicants. By raising fees, USCIS has put itself on a path to modernize its aging business practices and meet an ever-expanding set of responsibilities.

It will take time for these improvements to be fully realized. In the interim, we are taking immediate action to address the current backlog. USCIS has begun hiring 1,500 new employees, 723 of whom are adjudicators. These new employees will be trained through a nine-week intensive basic immigration training program. More than 580 permanent employees (274 adjudicators) have already been hired. USCIS will also hire an additional 1,800 employees as part of its backlog reduction plan and has been approved to rehire experienced retirees on a temporary basis to assist with adjudications.

USCIS also has created the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) to enhance the integrity of the legal immigration system by identifying threats to national security and public safety, detecting and combating benefit fraud, and removing other vulnerabilities. During Fiscal Year 2007, FDNS submitted approximately 8,700 fraud or criminal alien referrals to ICE. While USCIS works through the backlog of cases, it remains committed to ensuring the preservation of high quality standards and anti-fraud counter-measures.

In addition, USCIS has updated its guidance for adjudicating Green Card cases that have pending FBI name checks to make it consistent with the procedures used by ICE. Under this new guidance, USCIS will continue to require that a definitive FBI fingerprint check and Interagency Border Inspection Services (IBIS) check be obtained and resolved before granting a Green Card. USCIS will also continue to require initiation of the FBI name checks, but it will approve an adjustment of status application if the individual is otherwise eligible and no actionable derogatory or adverse information has been returned by the FBI within 180 days. At that point, the name check will continue, and if actionable information emerges as a result, the Department may revoke the adjustment of status. This change will help reduce the backlog of adjustment of status applications without compromising our commitment to national security or the integrity of the immigration system.
Beyond the August 2007 initiatives to improve border security and immigration, USCIS also continues to work closely and cooperatively with the State Department to process refugees from foreign countries, including Iraqi nationals. The Department’s role in this process is to interview and adjudicate cases, perform certain security checks, and make sure that cases are approved once all the necessary steps have been completed. The U.S. government has put in place the resources necessary to process and admit 12,000 Iraqi refugees this fiscal year. This remains an attainable but challenging goal. The results depend on a number of factors and variables outside our control.

While USCIS officers are currently interviewing Iraqi refugee applicants in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, and Lebanon, limits on our refugee processing capacity in Syria continue to make it difficult for the program to reach its full potential. To further assist this process, we are implementing in-country refugee processing in Iraq for U.S. Embassy staff. This could potentially allow even greater numbers of individuals who have assisted U.S efforts in Iraq to seek resettlement in the U.S.

Thus far, USCIS has completed interviews of over 6,000 Iraqi refugee applicants this fiscal year, and nearly 2,400 applicants are scheduled for interview in the last month that remains of the second quarter. This will yield approximately 8,400 Iraqi applicants interviewed in the first half of the fiscal year. USCIS plans to interview approximately 8,000 more Iraqis during the third quarter. Since the program’s inception last spring, a total of 19,840 individuals have been referred for resettlement. Altogether, USCIS has completed interviews of 10,562 individuals. To date, 3,434 Iraqi refugees have been admitted to the United States in Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008.
We remain committed to working with the State Department to process eligible Iraqis as efficiently as possible. However, we will not compromise our nation’s security by relaxing our standards or cutting corners.

V. Assimilating New Immigrants into Our Civil Culture

Finally, we have continued to take the necessary actions to assimilate new Americans into the rich tapestry of American culture and society.
Part of this effort involves revising the naturalization test for U.S. citizenship to create a testing process that is more standardized, fair, and meaningful.
The new test design, which USCIS announced last fall and expects to implement in October of this year, emphasizes fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. It is designed to encourage citizenship applicants to learn and identify the basic values we all share as Americans, rather than simply memorize a set of facts.
Of course, knowledge of English is one of the most important components of assimilation. By learning English, immigrants are able to communicate and interact with their fellow Americans. It is the first step to full integration. Assimilation does not mean losing cultural identity or diversity. It means learning English and embracing the common civic values that bring us together as Americans and adopting a shared sense of those values.
To promote assimilation, USCIS’ Office of Citizenship provides a number of educational products, resources, and training opportunities for community and faith-based organizations, civic organizations, adult educators, and volunteers who work with immigrants. This includes hosting regional training seminars. Adult educators, volunteers, and other organizations also use USCIS’ publications and videos to teach English as a Second Language and American history, civics, and the naturalization process to immigrant students. Several new educational resources are initiatives of the Task Force on New Americans.

USCIS and USA Freedom Corps’ New Americans Project are also currently engaged in a public service and educational campaign to promote volunteer opportunities among both U.S. citizens and immigrants to help newcomers adjust to life in the United States. The project also offers opportunities for immigrants to get involved in their communities through volunteer service.

VI. Conclusion

Immigration is an issue that goes to the very core of what it means to be an American. We must continue to welcome new generations of immigrants to the United States to pursue their dreams and enrich our civic culture and our society. But, as we also know, immigration has become an issue that is inextricably linked to our national security.

What I hope is clear from my testimony today is that we take our commitments with respect to immigration seriously and that we have made a great deal of progress over the past year. We have set clear goals and established strategies and timelines to meet those goals using the resources and authorities currently available to us.

As I stated at the beginning of my testimony, however, an enforcement-only approach will not address the full breadth of the nation’s immigration challenges over the long term. Only congressional action will achieve that goal.

We stand ready to work with Congress this year to build on our success at the border and in the interior and to advance reforms that will create the necessary temporary worker programs and pathways to citizenship for those already in our country. Taking these actions will remove pressure from the border and allow our Department to continue its focus on protecting our nation against dangerous people while making progress across all areas of our mission. I look forward to working with this Committee to achieve these very important objectives for our nation.

This page was last reviewed/modified on March 5, 2008.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980724/posts

Bordering on inanity
The Washington Times ^ | 05 Mar 2008 | Tony Blankley
Posted on 03/05/2008 7:41:15 AM PST by BGHater

Over a year ago, Congress passed a law to spend over $7 billion to build a fence to secure our Mexican border. Less than two weeks ago, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced at a news conference that a high-tech “virtual fence” project on part of the U.S. border with Mexico was finally ready for service, and that the technology that was a substitute for an actual physical fence — you know, cement, barbed wire, watch towers, moats.

The secretary was very specific. He said: “I have personally witnessed the value of the system, and I have spoken directly to border patrol agents ... who have seen it produce actual results, in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who were illegally smuggling across the border.” The so-called Project 28 virtual fence was built near Nogales, Ariz. The $20 million project of sensor towers and advanced mobile communications was supposed to be ready by mid-2007, but was delayed by software problems.

Some of us want a regular, real physical fence. But the White House assured us that a virtual fence would be better. And, by the way, both Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in last week’s debate said they were for the virtual fence-which in their view might obviate the need for a physical fence.

So Mr. Chertoff’s announcement less than two weeks ago was good news. But only five days later, the media reported that the Bush administration has scaled back plans to quickly build a virtual fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, delaying completion of that first 28-mile phase by at least three years and shifting away from a network of tower-mounted sensors and surveillance gear.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cartoonjihad/
http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons.html

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blog:

Photo included:

http://www.thememriblog.org/urdupashtu/blog_personal/en/5959.htm
(”Source: Jasarat, Pakistan, March 5, 2008”)

“Karachi: Toddlers and Children at a Public Rally Organized by Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami to Protest Against the Republication of the Prophet’s Cartoons by Danish Newspapers”

Posted at: 2008-03-05

blog:

Note: Graphic included:

http://www.thememriblog.org/urdupashtu/blog_personal/en/5931.htm
(”Source: Wrazparana Wahdat, Peshawar, March 4, 2008”)

“Afghanistan: Al-Qaeda Releases New Training Manual in Pashtu Language for its Fighters in Afghanistan”

Posted at: 2008-03-04

www.almanar.com.lb
www.livewtv.com/arabic_channel/almanar.htm
3arabtv.com/3arabtv/channels/496/AlManar_TV.html
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=almanar+tv&search_sort=video_date_uploaded
http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/116.htm

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blog:

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5943.htm
(”Source: Fars TV, Iran, March 4, 2008”)

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“Egypt, Saudi Arabia To Iranian Fars TV: Stop Broadcasting Al-Manar TV”

BLOG ENTRY SNIPPET: “The Iranian television channel Fars TV reports that the Saudi and Egyptian information ministers have presented it with a joint demand by all Arab countries to stop satellite broadcasts of the Lebanese Hizbullah TV channel Al-Manar.”

Posted at: 2008-03-05

QUOTE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1981034/posts

2 drop houses in West Valley, up to 75 immigrants found (Phoenix, Arizona)
ABC 15 News ^ | March 5, 2005 | Deborah Stocks
Posted on 03/05/2008 4:33:15 PM PST by yorkie

Two different law enforcement agencies arrested dozens of undocumented workers at several drop houses in the West Valley on Wednesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents processed up to 60 immigrants at a home near 51st Avenue and Glendale Road.

Neighbors told ABC15 this house was busted about three weeks ago for the same thing.

(Excerpt) Read more at abc15.com ...

new thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981084/posts