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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: Clinton Is Scum
That's a nice suit Salvador is wearing in the picture with the Cheneys. Would he take that to a dry cleaners or to a pet groomer?

Looks like a matador's suit of lights without the lights.

41 posted on 01/03/2003 4:10:22 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: 4Freedom
>>>America has gone from the land of opportunity to the land of illegal opportunists.

I like that! Bump.
42 posted on 01/03/2003 4:14:30 AM PST by FreedomPoster
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To: FreedomPoster; JohnHuang2
>>>America has gone from the land of opportunity to the land of illegal opportunists.

"I like that! Bump."

I don't know if it's good enough to copyright, but maybe it can make 'Quote of the Day'. ;^)

43 posted on 01/03/2003 4:21:43 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: FreedomPoster; Sabertooth
>>>America has gone from the land of opportunity to the land of illegal opportunists.

Hey Saber, think Michelle would use it on her next appearance on O'Rielly and give FR 'honorable mention'?

44 posted on 01/03/2003 4:27:22 AM PST by 4Freedom
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Comment #45 Removed by Moderator

To: All; Little Lulu; Sabertooth
We need an illegal immigration report on FOX. And now for the illegal immigration report;

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.

I'd like to hear that the news is both Martinez-Gonzalez and Kelvin were in custody and in jail for say, ten years. And the people involved in hooking up the Mexican with the Puerto Rican (obviously forgers and smugglers) were arrested, their "shop" closed down and they are also in jail.

More to this story;
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.

Following up on this, I would like to hear that the company has been not only fined a large amount of money, but they can no longer be given Federal contracts.

Can you imagine, just like the weather we could have different and new news read until the public and politicians finally get a clue.

And now for the evening invasion report....

I can dream can't I?

46 posted on 01/03/2003 4:43:41 AM PST by snippy_about_it
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Comment #47 Removed by Moderator

Comment #48 Removed by Moderator

To: kattracks
BUMP
49 posted on 01/03/2003 5:05:43 AM PST by Dante3
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Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: Stoner; america-rules
America Rules: Didn't Reagan give a few million amnesty?

Stoner: Yes he did, that is one of the few dark spots on his record.

My recollection is that when President Regan granted the amnesty, it was with the assurance that from that point on, immigration laws would be enforced and illegal entry/overstaying would end.

On another note, I'm not going to blame the illegal who was hired. Whoever was responsible for hiring and the executives should be jailed. The corporation should pay serious fines. That would be a very effective approach to curtailing the problem, which would in turn make the borders more manageable.

What are the odds that this administration would hold businesses that hire these workers accountable?

51 posted on 01/03/2003 5:15:03 AM PST by grania
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To: kattracks
And how many fell for believed that choking-on-a-pretzel incident?

That's a story that future historians in the next century will debunk.
52 posted on 01/03/2003 5:37:13 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: Crossbow Eel
Either we have open borders or we don't. What's the truth ?

Ask the over 20 million illegals in this country. We know there are about 20 million just from Mexico, probably quite a few millions of others ---I doubt any of them found the borders very closed.

53 posted on 01/03/2003 6:12:11 AM PST by FITZ
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To: 4Freedom
What do you want to bet he was making a little more than $5.00 an hour as a supervisor?

The ones working for cash and low wages don't have stolen and fraudulent documentation. It's a felony crime to do what this guy did but that's how they're going to make big money.

54 posted on 01/03/2003 6:15:10 AM PST by FITZ
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To: FITZ
"It's a felony crime to do what this guy did..."

He'll receive a slap on the wrists and a free ticket home. The question isn't if he'll come back, but how soon?

55 posted on 01/03/2003 6:22:33 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: kattracks
Shouldn't we have a rule about an obligatory Michelle photo on all threads mentioning her name?
56 posted on 01/03/2003 6:33:16 AM PST by bert
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To: 4Freedom; RJayneJ
To: FreedomPoster; JohnHuang2

>>>America has gone from the land of opportunity to the land of illegal opportunists.

"I like that! Bump."

I don't know if it's good enough to copyright, but maybe it can make 'Quote of the Day'. ;^)

43 posted on 01/03/2003 4:21 AM PST by 4Freedom

Could be.

But to get in the running, you need to include one more name in your ping, the "Keeper of the Quotes," RJayneJ...

See also:


from
RJayneJ's WONDERFUL "Free Republic Highlights"

57 posted on 01/03/2003 6:58:30 AM PST by RonDog
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To: bert
Shouldn't we have a rule about an obligatory Michelle photo on all threads mentioning her name?
LOL!
And, a link to her website...

www.MichelleMalkin.com



58 posted on 01/03/2003 7:02:39 AM PST by RonDog
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To: kattracks
and purchased a birth certificate from the real Kelvin Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican national who lent his identity to Martinez-Gonzalez.

I have posted before that illegal aliens are "borrowing" Social Security numbers from friends/relatives who are visiting/living in Mexico. They then "give back" the SS# when the rightful owner returns to the U.S. from Mexico. No one cares. I'll post it on this thread too.

59 posted on 01/03/2003 7:09:18 AM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
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To: kattracks
The real emphasis here should be on his length of service starting with his becoming familiar to the security at the white house with clinton.
60 posted on 01/03/2003 7:11:49 AM PST by RWG
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