7. March 2010 by admin.

The Secure Visas Act of 2010, mandates that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintain U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Visa Security Units (VSU) at the 14 consular posts that already have them and create units at the 16 other posts that ICE has designated as “highest-risk.”
The new legislation was penned by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and consists of companion bills in the Senate and House to improve the security of our nation’s visa issuing process.
Visa Security Units are critical for national security. Currently at VSU-staffed consular posts, 100 percent of applicants receive additional screening; at non-VSU posts, fewer than two percent of applications get extra screening.
“As President Obama said, the Christmas Day terror plot was the result of an unacceptable failure to connect the dots by our intelligence, homeland security, and State Department officials,” said Cornyn, Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. “To ensure this never happens again, we must take every possible step to close the serious security gaps and communication lapses that allowed Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to board an American-bound plane with explosives that could have killed 300 passengers.” Keep reading

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4. February 2010 by admin.

In a yearly threat briefing to Congress, five senior intelligence community figures responded to tough questions in light of the increased terror plots Americans faced last year. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) directly asked each intelligence member the likelihood of another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Each agreed there would “certainly” be another attempt in the next three to six months.

“An attempted attack, the priority is certain, I would say,” said Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence. The other members appearing in front of Congress included, FBI Director Robert Mueller, CIA Director Leon Panetta, John Dinger, acting assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research and Ronald Burgess Jr. the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Blair outlined the possible terrorist threats the United States may face; computer networks and infrastructure attacks, Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the instability in nuclear-power Pakistan, China’s military buildup, Iranian and North Korean nuclear ambitions as well as Venezuela’s flirtation with communist countries.

“In our judgment al Qaeda also retains the capability to recruit, train and deploy operatives to mount some kind of an attack against the homeland,” Blair testified. He goes on to explain favorite al Qaeda targets remain on a watch list of sorts and include, airplanes, financial institutions in New York City and the Washington Metro system.

“The recent successful and attempted attacks represent an evolving threat in which it is even more difficult to identify and track small numbers of terrorists recently recruited and trained and short-term plots than to find and follow terrorist cells engaged in plots that have been ongoing for years,” Blair explained.

While the National Security Congressional briefings proved eye-opening and may have caught many Americans off guard those who work the front lines are privy to the inner workings of our ports of entry and say the daily break downs could be fixed.

It was reported several weeks ago that NYC Customs and Border Protection employees point to the “flying Jihad” flights arriving weekly at JFK. “Looking back to the Christmas Day bomber, we now know he trained in an al Qaeda training camps in Yemen, even with this knowledge we continue to allow hundreds of Yemenis per week to enter the U.S. via terminal one, on a Saudi Arabian flight, many of the passengers are Yemenis in violation of their green card status,” a veteran CBP Inspector said.

The full-body scanners to be placed at airports (in which former DHS Secretary Chertoff is a part owner) will not help solve the problem created and continuously perpetuated by the country’s top officials. Many experts agree that the controversial full-body scanners would not have detected the chemicals in the Nigerian underpants bomber.

“I think the message from the Intel community was ominous and accurate, but Washington has still not addressed the potential for attacks on the homeland by terrorist green card holders, instead Washington continues to recklessly place Americans in harms’ way. Actually failing to protect Americans when Intel exists and points to potential terrorist who is in violation of visa misuse,” CBP Agents said.

It has been said Washington is putting on a “Dog and Pony Show” for the American public. “Just as the memo written by A FBI agent detailing an imminent attack using commercial aircraft loaded with passengers and fuel, was ignored by the Washington Elite and bureaucrats before 9/11. It appears the warning that terror cells are already here in the US, aided by U.S. officials ‘look the other way’ policies when it comes to enforcing LPR ‘green card’ regulations and the U.S. Department of State’s liberal immigrant and visitor visa policy,” said another CBP Inspector who spoke in anonymity for fear of work place retaliation.

“U.S. officials who could work to secure our nation are busy playing lip service to the media and their constituents while taking no action to ensure America’s safety. The American public should hold Washington responsible for any future attack(s), because these are the very people who have failed to do their jobs- not TSA Agents, Border Patrol Agents or CBP Officers on the front lines.”

Just as alarming is the fact that the Agency responsible for protecting U.S. borders, CBP, still has no leadership in place to orchestrate an intelligent program necessary to protect the country. “The three ‘acting’ Assistant Commissioners running CBP operations now are like having Larry, Moe and Curly in charge. It’s time for Washington insiders and bureaucrats to put away their theater make up and work, and do the job the American public pays them top dollars to do,” a CBP Agent explained. “If they can’t then it’s time for them to retire and let responsible leaders step up.”

One thing is certain when it comes to national security – nothing is secure. When good rank-and-file agents on the front line are pointing out obvious flaws at the ports of entry, Americas’ front door, citizens expect management to take notice and think outside the box. If this fails to happen al Qaeda will be claiming responsibility for another American tragedy.

For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner

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13. January 2010 by admin.

It is being reported that the same chemicals used by the Christmas Day terror attack have been discovered at the port in Morehead City, North Carolina.

Local reports from the Morehead Police and Fire Departments acknowledge there were nine containers found and that they were punctured open. It remains unclear as to why the PETN containers were opened, but local authorities believe it may have been an accident.

PETN or pentaerythritol trinitrate is a relatively stable liquid and is detonated by using heat or a shockwave, experts believe the Christmas Day bombing attempt used PETN chemicals which were combined with nitroglycerin.

The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, ducked security in Amsterdam by carrying the explosives on his person, possibly sewn into his clothing and waiting until the last 10 minutes of the flight to ignite the chemicals. He has now been charged by the FBI and is awaiting his day in court. Keep reading

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8. January 2010 by admin.

Each year in the United States the immigration department holds a lottery where 50,000 immigrants who seek to reside in America can win the golden ticket and gain legal entry into the country. The popular program is only available for those countries that do not send a large number of immigrants to the U.S.

In an effort to remove any possible security risks, Congressmen Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have asked Chairman of the Judiciary committee, John Conyers (D-MI) urging the committee to consider eliminating the annual visa lottery. (Note: state sponsors of terrorism are not excluded from the lottery.)

The Congressmen pointed out countries that are eligible for the visa lottery include; Iran, Sudan, Cuba as well as 13 of the 14 nations the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) crack down on airport security, including Nigeria home country of the Christmas Day terrorist incident.

“The visa lottery program poses a national security threat. Under the program, each successful applicant is chosen at random and given the status of permanent resident based on pure luck,” Rep. Goodlatte explained. “Usually, immigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals who have an existing connection with a family member lawfully residing in the United States or with a U.S. employer. These types of relationships help to ensure that immigrants entering the country have a stake in our nation’s continued success, and have needed skills to contribute to our nation’s economy. However, under the visa lottery program, visas are awarded to immigrants at random without meeting such criteria.”

Congressman Smith continued to say the visa lottery is a dangerous game with our national security. “America already has the most generous immigration policy in the world, admitting over one million legal immigrants each year. But under the current lottery system, up to 50,000 randomly selected alien applicants win visas each year, many from countries with a significant terrorist presence.”  Keep reading

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28. December 2009 by admin.

In what could have been a Christmas day horror, Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist who boarded a Northwest flight bound for Detroit from Nigeria with a stop in Amsterdam. The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, ducked security in Amsterdam by carrying the explosives on his person, possibly sewn into his clothing.

Passengers on flight 253 claim the suspected terrorist began to act suspiciously as the plane commenced its decent into the Detroit region. When travelers heard a popping noise similar to firecrackers and saw flames they wasted no time in subduing the alleged- Nigerian terrorist, holding him down until the plane landed in Detroit.

Former Northwest airline pilot and aviation security expert for the airline, Glen E. Winn explained it was sheer luck this plane didn’t blow up. “This plane was at a critical mode upon the final approach phase where the air inside the aircraft was very unstable. The pilot and crew should be commended for getting the plane onto the runway in one piece.” He goes on to place the blame for this Christmas day incident squarely on the American government. “The system broke down starting with the terror watch list and continued at every check point from Nigeria through Amsterdam.”

“This alleged attack on a U.S. airplane on Christmas Day shows that we must remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism at all times,” Attorney General Eric Holder said. “Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured. We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice.”

It is also worth pointing out that President Obama has failed to make an official statement regarding this national security failure. While he and his family vacation and enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian weather, he has chosen to let his senior cabinet members make statements about this incident drawing the ire of many Americans who remain scared to fly as the holiday season winds down. It appears a notable new pattern is emerging with Obama regarding his silence where terrorist activity is concerned though he has shown no hesitation to address any other issue inane or otherwise and regularly requests camera time something his predecessors did not do.

Despite a Nigerian man being able to board a Northwest airliner with explosive chemicals (PETN or pentaerythritol similar to what shoe bomber Richard Reid used) headed for Detroit which is home to the largest concentration of Muslim population (Dearborn-located within minutes of airport) in the country, Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said, “The system worked.” Keep reading

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10. December 2009 by admin.

President Obama campaigned on change, giving Border States hope with the appointment of Arizona’s Janet Napolitano to Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, however this is where the hope and change ended and business as usual persisted.

A recent press release titled “Secretary Napolitano and Mexican Finance Secretary Agustin Carstens Sign Enhanced Declaration of Principles to Strengthen Bilateral Economic and Security Cooperation” from Napolitano’s office, the release unequivocally proves this case; “Protecting the interconnected security and economic interests of the United States and Mexico depends on close collaboration between our two nations,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Secretary Carstens and I will continue to work together to coordinate efforts to crack down on violent drug cartels along the Southwest border while facilitating the flow of travel and trade.”

The release continues to highlight America’s intent to speed up the flow of human and cargo traffic into the U.S. notwithstanding exactly what and who is getting across the borders in the name of speed. “We are building upon a longstanding relationship and cooperation, which have derived extraordinary results, particularly in matters of trade facilitation to legitimate stakeholders and law enforcement,” said Secretary Carstens. “However, today’s world demands from us a more intelligent and coordinated way to protect our borders and facilitate trade.”

The new joint initiatives and long-term programs used by the U.S. and Mexico are said to augment information-sharing mechanisms and coordinate border management
policy framework for engagement on multiple fronts, “including emphasizing professionalism among law enforcement personnel through integrity-related training and the sharing of best practices and establishing improved mechanisms for information-sharing.”

These new tempered caveats only add to the already expanding relationship with Mexico. Since January the Obama Administration has signed three agreements building on unprecedented levels of collaboration between the two nations. The agreements are designed to combat transnational crime, increase law enforcement partnership and amplify the flow of travel and trade along the Southwest border.

However, the breakdowns at ports of entry have now been established in several stories, using numerous employee statements. Instead of strengthening the borders this administration has only broken them down further. DHS has even weakened the E-Verify method of exposing illegal aliens, and slowed its detention and deportation programs. In hearings on Capitol Hill today, Senator Jeff Sessions-R AL railed Napolitano’s stance on enforcement of these very issues.

Miami, More Porous than the Southwest Border, But the Party Continues Keep reading

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