Fox Pulse: Terrorists being smuggled in from Mexico

Fox News via American Patrol Report ^ | July 11, 2002 | Geraldo Rivera

[spycatcher]

If you missed the new Fox Pulse newsmagazine's 9-month exclusive investigation, here's a streaming audio link...

Fox Pulse audio link

It's estimated that 500,000 of unknown national origin have crossed over the border with Mexico since 9-11-01.

And from the following article some agents estimate 10% are now from he Middle East..

'Arab terrorists' crossing border: Middle Eastern illegals find easy entrance into U.S. from Mexico

And here's a related article from a few months back

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Iraqi reportedly smuggled hundreds from Middle East across Mexican border

New York Times News Service
Oct. 25, 2001 10:05:00

EL PASO - An Iraqi-born smuggler led hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Middle East across the Mexican border into the United States in the 1990s, prosecution documents filed in a federal conspiracy trial here say.

The Iraqi, George Tajirian, who forged an alliance with a Mexican immigration officer, smuggled Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni and other undocumented immigrants through Mexico and into the United States, sending them to wade across the Rio Grande or pass border checkpoints with counterfeit travel documents from Greece, Mexico and other nations, the prosecutors said.

Tajirian appears to have had no political or other agenda, and prosecutors have provided no evidence that any of the people smuggled by him had terrorist ties. But prosecutors said he had paid little heed to whether his clients were criminals, merely raising his smuggling fees when he became aware of such complications.

The record of prosecution proceedings against Tajirian and Angel Molina Paramo, the Mexican official who prosecutors say was a major confederate, suggest that the Mexican border has been a thoroughfare for hundreds of Middle Eastern migrants crossing illegally into the United States.

Tajirian, who is a naturalized Mexican citizen, was arrested in Miami in 1998, pleaded guilty to smuggling undocumented foreigners in a plea agreement that erased conspiracy and other charges, and is serving a 13-year sentence. Molina was extradited to Texas this spring. A federal judge here accepted his guilty plea last week, also the result of a plea bargain, and sentencing is set for next month. Tajirian's wife, who is a Mexican citizen, and a fourth suspect, a Lebanese woman who ran Tajirian's travel agency in Quito, Ecuador, are fugitives.

The documents pertaining to Tajirian's smuggling operations were presented to the court as part of the case against Molina and the two fugitives. Among the documents was one in which prosecutors said they collected evidence on 132 illegal immigrants Tajirian smuggled into the United States from 1996 through 1998.

The prosecutors estimated that since he began to build his smuggling organization in 1980 he had led more than 1,000 Middle East natives across the southwest frontier.

Tajirian showed "no scruples" in deciding whom he would smuggle into the United States, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Brandy Gardes wrote in a brief before Tajirian's sentencing in 1998. One citizen of Yemen whom Tajirian brought to the U.S. in December 1997 was wanted for genocide in South Yemen, the prosecutors said. Tajirian, the prosecutors said, was aware of this and, accordingly, raised his fee. A Syrian native who was smuggled across the frontier in September 1996 had a criminal record in Germany.

"The tightening of our borders and our internal security," Gardes wrote, "is a priority and the desire of the American public. The defendant's criminal activity, through its sheer magnitude and cavalier attitude, struck deeply at these goals."

In documents presented to the court, prosecutors said Tajirian routinely charged clients $10,000 to $15,000 or more. They documented earnings of $230,000 from 1996 through 1998, and estimated that he grossed as much as $2 million during that period. Prosecutors say Tajirian is 60 years old. He says he is 70.

Statistics gathered by the Immigration and Naturalization Service suggest that citizens from countries with majority Islamic populations seek to gain entry to the United States illegally much more frequently at the Canadian border. Last year, American agents detained 254 undocumented immigrants, from 16 Middle Eastern countries, Sudan, Pakistan and Malaysia, at Canadian border checkpoints, according to the INS statistics.

By contrast, at the Mexican border, agents detained 90 undocumented immigrants last year from countries with majority Islamic populations: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Pakistan. The Mideast migrants were moving in a human tide that was overwhelmingly Latin. Some 99.9 percent of the 1.64 million undocumented immigrants detained at the southwest border last year were from Mexico and 16 other Latin countries.

The documents presented here detail more than any other case the nature of the smuggling pipeline by which illegal Middle Eastern immigrants cross the Southwestern border.

Tajirian, who was born in Baghdad, came to the United States and settled in Detroit, where he was convicted in the late 1970s for illegal possession of visas and served eight months in prison. Almost immediately after his release, Tajirian began building his smuggling network, prosecutors said.

He recruited Middle Eastern clients in Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Greece, the prosecutors said, and he established travel agencies in Havana and Mexico City as well as Quito. In a typical smuggling transaction, Tajirian would recruit his clients, arrange lodging for them in Greece, Havana, Quito and Mexico City, and eventually arrange for local smugglers in northern Mexico to bring them into the United States, usually at El Paso or Laredo in Texas or through Tijuana, south of San Diego.

[spycatcher]

If we get hit with a large attack by terrorists streaming into the country from Mexico since 9-11, I wouldn't be able to argue with Bush as the commander-in-chief being personally liable for gross negligence. Even though Congress could try to order the border secured by feds, Bush is the only one who can really secure it by ordering the military to do so.

It may be that that the Dems aren't making the border an issue either so they can pounce on him after the next attack. As an obvious forseeable risk since 9-11, a mass homicide due to the failure to even attempt to secure our borders (the FBI would never admit that though) would be very bad. Bush's sensitivity to Mexico is political, whereas his responsibility to all Americans is now military. Why do we need to sustain another attack to learn?

[blam]

"This may come back to bite Bush in the *ss."

It has likely already cost him my vote.

[spycatcher]

That 99.9% Hispanic figure is probably completely bogus now that we've attempted to close down other immigration avenues and are watching visitors on student Visas and all flights more closely. The sheer volume also makes Mexico more attractive than Canada, along with the closer similarity in appearance between Hispanics and Arabs.

I would suspect that almost all serious terrorists are now looking to use the Mexico route. The 10% figure is only one agent's experience and may be high. So I would guess 5% is probably the truth if I had to bet on it. Five out of every 100 is not that much, but it means 25,000 Arabs since 9-11.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[wku man]

Thanks for the ping, bro. I, too, watched the show, and was struck that no mention was made of the numerous tunnels that have been found for at least the last 20 years or so. All in all, though, I thought it was a pretty good segment, especially if Joe and Jane Six-pack saw it and realized "I be dadgummed, we ain't safe here!" Whorealdo's producers did a good job, though I'd rather not have had to look at him.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Abandon All Hope]

Would this be the same Fox News that reported that Al Qaeda was somehow behind the Worldcom fiasco?

Fox News isn't a real News Channel - they just play one on TV.

[Abandon All Hope]

When 500,000 aliens crossed into another country they used to call it things like "invasion" or even "blitzkrieg."

"Blitzkrieg" refers to the German WWII combined-arms doctrine. Didn't know the "invaders" were equipped with tanks and tactical aircraft.

We are not only at war,

No, we are not. Only Congress can declare war.

we are being invaded,

More nonsense.

and government policy prohibits talking about it.

We're talking about it, right now.

[StormEye]

"Iraqi reportedly smuggled hundreds from Middle East across Mexican border"

Golly! Surprise, surprise!

[spycatcher]

You might want to post a link to that story you're alluding to. I doubt they reported Al Qaeda was behind WorldCom's financial statement errors

[spycatcher]

Congress need not declare war for the US to be at war in case you've been sleeping for the last 50 years.

[Abandon All Hope]

In a July 2 dispatch out of Washington, FoxNews highlighted an "unexpected twist" in the WorldCom saga: a United Press International report, citing emails decoded by the National Security Agency, that al Qaeda claimed its "Operation WorldCon" had demolished WorldCom and "had seriously crippled the entire American military machine that is heavily dependent on the telecom giant."

Furthermore, reported FoxNews, UPI was saying that al Qaeda "sleeper cells" had managed to wreak havoc via financial scandals at other recent corporate casualties, including Enron, Arthur Andersen, and Global Crossing .

It turns out that the UPI article was actually a commentary by editor-at-large Arnaud de Borchgrave, one that later ran in The Washington Times. After de Borchgrave tells his fantastical story, he confesses that this scenario is "a flight of fancy."

In other words, it appears that someone at Fox News didn't realize that de Borchgrave's scoop was a joke. Didn't read all the way through the UPI bulletin. Didn't figure out how de Borchgrave was making some point about corporate executives being as destructive as violent terrorists. Didn't stop to wonder out why al Qaeda members in the Tora Bora caves would care about Adelphia, or why they ever would have heard of it.

The article was quietely removed from the FoxNews website.

[Abandon All Hope]

Normally, I regard Michael Kinsely as a pencil-necked geek; however, even a blind squirrel manages to find an acorn now and again:

"The eerie non-debate we're having as vast preparations for battle are made before our eyes is a consequence of a long-running constitutional scandal: the withering away of the requirement of a congressional declaration of war. Oh, the words are still there, of course, but presidents of both parties flagrantly ignore them -- sometimes with fancy arguments that are remarkably unpersuasive, but mainly by now with shrugging indifference. The result is not just a power shift between the branches of government but a general smothering of debate about, or even interest in, the decision to go to war among citizens in general."

"It's often said that modern warfare has no place for an 18th century conceit like the declaration of war. (This is said, in fact, by people who usually insist that the original intent of the Constitution's Framers requires no concessions to modernity.)"

The second paragraph pegs you rather well.

[a merkin]

We should give them amnesty, citizenship, welfare dollars, health care, education, and a place setting at the White House dinner table. Maybe then they will stop bombing our national landmarks,

We should surround our national landmarks and send 1,000,000 marchers across the DC border to march on the capital to demand that our miliatry do what it's meant to do -- protect our borders.

We need a show of solidarity. Those folks in Washington don't give a tinker's damn what we think!

[spycatcher]

Fox wasn't the only one fooled by UPI with that commentary
In the comments... "I got this as a 'Breaking news exclusive' direct from a senior UPI editor, so even his own organization didn't realize quite what he was doing."

As far as declaring war, you mistake your idealism for reality. The reality is, war isn't declared anymore even in a state of war. So your original point is moot.

[sarasmom]

PING.

[Twodees]

Maybe then they will stop bombing our national landmarks, and vote for Bush.

Well, let's don't push the landmark thingy too hard. If they vote for W, that's enough for now. We'll work on the violence abatement later or blame it on the dems. Whaddaya say?

[janetgreen]

we are being invaded,

More nonsense.

Come to California and look around, you might not think it's nonsense anymore.

[Marine Inspector]

Sarcasm, Tancredo Fan and Sarasmon. Thanks for the pings.

I watched the show also, and was very impressed with it.

It's estimated that 500,000 of unknown national origin have crossed over the border with Mexico since 9-11-01.

If you look at my profile page, which, most of you have, you can see that the 500,000 thousand number is a very low estimate. We are pushing at least 1.5 million since 9/11.

And from the following article some agents estimate 10% are now from he Middle East.

Personally, I think 10% is high and would put it closer to 5% or even a little less. At any point it makes no difference, 5% of 1.5 million is 75,000, which is almost unbelievable.

Tancredo Fan (post#11), while the parts of the Mexican military are corrupt, they are pushing drugs not people across the border. Drugs are more profitable and can’t report you. I have never heard of any reports of the Military running wets across the border. These Mexican anti terrorist military groups are probably legit, and enjoy their job of tracking down the bad guys. Not everyone in Mexico is corrupt.

Some 99.9 percent of the 1.64 million undocumented immigrants detained at the southwest border last year were from Mexico and 16 other Latin countries.

TomGuy (post #16), I would say these number are also off. In FY 2001 the Border Patrol only apprehended 1.23 million illegals along the US/Mexico border. The 1.64 million were apprehended in FY 2000. In FY 2000, some 99.9% were probably from Mexico and 16 other Latin countries. But in FY 2001, I would bet that has dropped at least half a percent if not more.

[timestax]

THIS must be stopped!!