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Who's watching the White House? (Michelle Malkin)
TownHall.com ^ | 1/03/03 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 01/02/2003 9:55:48 PM PST by kattracks

If you thought the New Year's Eve FBI manhunt for illegal aliens with fake passports was a disturbing sign of homeland insecurity, wait until you hear about who's been working on President George W. Bush's front lawn.

While the Secret Service has now instituted criminal and citizenship screening procedures for all tourists (including children) who visit the White House, federal agents failed to detect an illegal alien who used a false identity and fraudulent documents and was employed for at least two years as a supervisor of tent installation for White House social events.

This illegal alien had been ordered kicked out of the country by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in February 2000, but was able to evade the law and fool both his employer and the Secret Service through petty identity fraud. He was finally caught at the U.S.-Mexico border last month, but it was no thanks to the law enforcement agents in Washington who are assigned to protect the White House from unknown intruders.

Posing as "Kelvin Rodriguez," a Mexican citizen named Salvador Martinez-Gonzalez worked for HDO Productions Inc., which bills itself as "the nation's most respected provider of special event tent and accessory rentals." The company designs elaborate outdoor settings for galas, weddings and government functions.

Martinez-Gonzalez had access to the White House grounds, the Pentagon and NASA, and rubbed elbows with Washington's most powerful officials -- from former President Bill Clinton to current Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne. Martinez-Gonzalez kept festive photos of himself with Clinton and the Cheneys as souvenirs to show off his insider access.

On Dec. 2, 2002, according to a Justice Department intelligence report I obtained, Martinez-Gonzalez tried to return to the U.S. from a trip to Mexico. He showed up at the Laredo, Texas, port of entry claiming to be a U.S. citizen and provided inspectors with the photos of himself with Clinton and the Cheneys. A routine fingerprint and immigration database check showed that he had been apprehended in Brownsville, Texas, two years ago, and at that time was ordered to leave the country. He should have been immediately detained for fraudulent entry and kicked out.

But Martinez-Gonzalez was neither detained nor removed from the U.S., as required by federal law. Instead, immigration officials learned, Martinez-Gonzalez was freed and purchased a birth certificate from the real Kelvin Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican national who lent his identity to Martinez-Gonzalez. According to the intelligence report, Rodriguez helped Martinez-Gonzalez obtain a U.S. Social Security card, Maryland driver's license and a U.S. passport.

According to the report, Martinez-Gonzalez/"Rodriguez" moved to the Maryland suburbs and began to work for HDO Productions. An Associated Press article shows that the company had past problems with illegal labor at the White House. In the summer of 1998, immigration officials arrested two Mexican nationals who worked for HDO Productions and were trying to gain access to the White House grounds using fake alien registration cards. Secret Service officers detained them after they presented the fake documents. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia authorized prosecution for possession of fraudulent documents, and the two workers were reportedly deported.

As for Martinez-Gonzalez/"Rodriguez," he left HDO Productions sometime in the fall. Company president Jerry O'Connell said he was not aware of any immigration problems and that Martinez-Gonzalez/"Rodriguez's" departure had nothing to do with immigration-related fraud.

According to the DOJ intelligence report, the FBI and Secret Service were both contacted by immigration investigators for further interviewing of this illegal alien impostor. But an FBI spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he was unfamiliar with the case. My calls to the White House were unreturned. The Secret Service refused to comment.

Hopefully, President Bush will have better luck getting answers. For if his own guardians can't keep low-level, illegal border-crossing identity impostors out of the White House backyard, how in the world can we count on his administration to keep far more sophisticated, illegal alien evildoers -- like the five that President Bush personally ordered hunted down last week -- out of ours?

©2002 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

Contact Michelle Malkin | Read her biography



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
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To: Sabertooth; madfly
Michelle Malkin will discuss el illegal on Hannity and Colmes tonight(Friday)
101 posted on 01/03/2003 3:38:02 PM PST by 4.1O dana super trac pak
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To: cyncooper; kattracks; Sabertooth
The usual, see the article!

News on the perp here:

Man who worked at W.H. indicted

102 posted on 01/03/2003 4:27:32 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: philosofy123
Had this been a Muslim extremist, we would be dealing with an assasination attempt, not just a security breach.
103 posted on 01/03/2003 4:40:17 PM PST by rmlew
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; kattracks
Thanks for that link Ernest. If I become an illegal, perhaps I, too, can have my picture taken with administration officials. Atleast this man was working and not a terrorist. When are we going to take Borders/Language/Culture "series"?
104 posted on 01/03/2003 4:49:50 PM PST by Libertina
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To: goody2shooz
Well, if the president were assassinated, they'd better realize that they'd have to deal with D. Cheney. And he's a lot meaner than the current pres...
105 posted on 01/03/2003 4:54:29 PM PST by Concentrate
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To: Uncle Bill
Thanks Uncle Bill for supplying that vast array of quotes from various Bush Administration officials. The central theme in nearly every one of those remarks was-- America will be attacked repeatedly by Terrorists in the future, get used to it, we are not going to do what is necessary to stop it. Imagine if these condescending remarks were made in relation to the economy (America is in a recession, get used to it, we aren't going to do anything about it). Yeah, that would fly---NOT!

Anyway, I found the below quotes by George Bush particularly interesting:

"America is made better by millions of Muslim citizens"

...I know we can rise to the challenge of showing the world that in the face of the incredible evil done to America can come some great good. And it starts right with you. Every act of individual kindness and compassion, the gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness and compassion, will show the enemy and the world the true face of the greatest nation on the face of the earth."

Tell me this guy is NOT a Liberal.

106 posted on 01/03/2003 5:04:57 PM PST by WRhine
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To: Crossbow Eel
Exactly.
107 posted on 01/03/2003 5:08:39 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Uncle Bill
When you put it all together like that Uncle Bill, it becomes pretty obvious there are agendas going on at full tilt doesn't it. Thanks for the ping.

This bent me double, hahaha

108 posted on 01/03/2003 5:22:58 PM PST by MissAmericanPie
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To: MissAmericanPie
Hehehe. Surely the IRS can help. The State Department? The Republican party? I know, Bush?

IRS seminars, IDs Help Illegal Immigrants Pay US Taxes

State Department Shreds Millions of Visa Applications

Immigration Isn't An Issue Says Congressional GOP
"The National Republican Congressional Committee has been advising its candidates NOT to mention border security and immigration issues in their speeches or campaign literature,"

Bush To Push For Amnesty - The Washington Times - November 23, 2002

Claire, is it time yet? No it's too late

109 posted on 01/03/2003 5:57:07 PM PST by Uncle Bill
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To: WRhine; Uncle Bill; 4Freedom
It also wasn't too long ago, maybe 9 months, where they discovered several people working at our nuclear submarine pens, all were discovered to be in this country illegally.
110 posted on 01/03/2003 6:16:23 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: kattracks
Of course aliens are welcome at the White House. . .


Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

111 posted on 01/03/2003 6:19:02 PM PST by mikeb704
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To: mickie
Bump!
112 posted on 01/03/2003 6:24:44 PM PST by MVV
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To: Uncle Bill
FBI Director Robert Mueller: "We're not looking for individuals of any particular religion or from any particular country."

Great. The 'new' FBI issue gear apparently is a cane, dark sunglasses, and a German Shepherd -- matching their 'new' philosophy...

And perhaps soon Director Mueller will actually admit to narrowing down his search to "all Earth primates."

113 posted on 01/03/2003 6:29:31 PM PST by F16Fighter
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To: MVV
Airport security really drives me nuts. Grandmoms and pregnant mothers are padded down, not to mention all the poor folks with replacement knees and hips who set off the metal detectors........while our borders are wide open.
Go figure!
114 posted on 01/03/2003 6:52:27 PM PST by mickie
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To: Joe Hadenuf
10 Illegal Aliens arrested at San Diego nuclear submarine base

Nuclear submarine crew member charged with sabotage

There's always competition

115 posted on 01/03/2003 7:03:27 PM PST by Uncle Bill
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To: F16Fighter

116 posted on 01/03/2003 7:14:57 PM PST by Uncle Bill
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To: Uncle Bill
Bingo that's it!

10 Illegal Aliens arrested at San Diego nuclear submarine base

Let's see, we have illegal aliens posing with our Vice President and his wife, and illegal aliens in our nuclear submarine pens.....This is just beyond pathetic....A government gone mad....LOL!

117 posted on 01/03/2003 7:27:41 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
What a screw-up!

Well at least he was hired by Billy "What's growing on my face now?" Clinton:


118 posted on 01/03/2003 7:27:45 PM PST by mrsmith
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Hey Uncle Bill, did you post the photo of the illegal alien posing with the Vice president and his wife? If you didn't, here it is....

This blows me away!!!!!!

119 posted on 01/03/2003 7:33:02 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Uncle Bill
#119 was for you.....Whoops......Unbelievable aint it?
120 posted on 01/03/2003 7:34:10 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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