Checking Terrorism At The Border

[Sean Osborne]

This is a MUST READ.

Excerpts from pages 4 and 5.

"The same senior leaders who absolutely refused to allow OSI to obtain the necessary resources to fulfill its mission also refused, time and time again, to act when confronted with major national security vulnerabilities my team and I identified in the immigration process

Each of the security breaches described below was brought immediately to the attention oftop-level officials at USCIS. These breaches compromise virtually every part of theimmigration system, leaving vulnerabilities that have been and likely

are being exploited by enemies of the United States. Despite the fact that each identified threat has significant security implications, USCIS leadership consistently failed—or refused—to correct them. Instead, top officials chose to cover them up, to dismiss them, and/or to target theemployees who identified them, even when the solution was both obvious and feasible.

As a former police chief and national security specialist, I do not make these charges lightly. Over the past eight months, I have provided, through my attorney, thousands ofpages of unclassified documents, including most of those attached to this statement, to Members of this Subcommittee and other Members of Congress. More recently, I have provided the same documents to the FBI, the GAO, and the DHS Office of Inspector General. On three separate occasions, I offered to provide Director Gonzalez a full set of these documents, but on each occasion, he declined my offer.

These documents, and others of which I have personal knowledge but am not at liberty to release or to discuss in an open forum, prove not only the existence of the national securityvulnerabilities I will discuss today, but also the fact that senior government officials are awareof the vulnerabilities and have chosen to ignore them. More troubling is the fact that thes same officials actually ordered me to ignore national security vulnerabilities I identified, even though my job was to address them. When I refused these orders, I was subjected to retaliation

... government officials are aware of the vulnerabilities and have chosen to ignore them"

http://wwwa.house.gov/international_.../max040606.pdf

The above link is the online version of the testimony given by Michael Maxwell, the (Former) Director, USCIS Office of Security and Investigations (OSI) of the US Department of Homeland Security. There has been about zero mainstream media coverage of this testimony. ZERO.

That is about to change, so help me God.

[Sean Osborne]

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/si...hp?storyid=384


* "The integrity of the United States immigration system has been corrupted and the system is incapable of ensuring the security of our homeland."

* Nearly 20% of the complaints against agents of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services allege criminal activities. “Alleged crimes include bribery, harboring illegal aliens, money laundering, structuring, sale of documents, marriage fraud, extortion, undue foreign influence, and making false statements, among other things. Also included among these complaints are national security cases; for example, allegations of USCIS employees providing material support to known terrorists or being influenced by foreign intelligence services.”

–Michael J. Maxwell, (former) Director, USCIS Office of Security and Investigations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

By Douglas J. Hagmann, Director


29 June 2006: Michael J. Maxwell is a true American patriot with an impressive resume who cares deeply about the security and future of our country. Until last February, he was Director of the Office of Security and Investigations (OSI) at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that processes all applications for immigration status and documents filed by aliens who are already present in the United States, or the filings by U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and employers who seek to bring an alien to the U.S., either permanently or temporarily.

The Office of Security and Investigations is a “department” within USCIS, and was created to “regain the public trust in the immigration service” by identifying, reporting, and resolving any security vulnerabilities that would permit the successful manipulation of the immigration system by either external or internal agents. To be sure, OSI has other duties, but insuring that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services – a vital part of the Department of Homeland Security, is operating properly is of primary importance. Mr. Maxwell headed the operation that identifies and reports on the internal problems at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. He took his job seriously, discharged his duties passionately, and as a result, is paying a heavy price.

Yesterday, I interviewed Mr. Maxwell about the testimony he provided to the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation, Committee on Internal Relations on April 6, 2006. The information he provided during this interview was absolutely riveting – and frightening. Terrorists are using our own immigration system to enter and imbed themselves inside the United States, and in some cases, they are receiving help from the inside. When Mr. Maxwell informed senior government officials about the national security vulnerabilities he found that jeopardize the security of the U.S. and consequently, places the lives of every American citizen at risk, they chose to ignore them. Not only did these high-ranking officials ignore the problems he identified, they actually ordered Mr. Maxwell ignore them as well, even though it was his very job was to address them. When he refused these orders out of a sense of duty to his country, he was subjected to retaliation and suddenly became a modern day “Serpico” within the Department of Homeland Security. The retaliation was so significant, Mr. Maxwell found it impossible to carry out his duties as the director of the Office of Security and Investigations.

After leaving his position, Mr. Maxwell provided documentation and evidence of the wrongdoing he found within the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to the FBI in a series of meetings encompassing upwards of 30 hours. According to Mr. Maxwell, the FBI was overwhelmed at the magnitude and severity of the issues he brought forward.

Stated Mr. Maxwell:

“The same senior leaders who absolutely refused to allow OSI to obtain the necessary resources to fulfill its mission also refused, time and time again, to act when confronted with major national security vulnerabilities my team and I identified in the immigration process.”

“Each of the security breaches described below was brought immediately to the attention of top-level officials at USCIS. These breaches compromise virtually every part of the immigration system, leaving vulnerabilities that have been and likely are being exploited by enemies of the United States. Despite the fact that each identified threat has significant national security implications, USCIS leadership consistently failed—or refused—to correct them. Instead, top officials chose to cover them up, to dismiss them, and/or to target the employees who identified them, even when the solution was both obvious and feasible.”

“As the office responsible for internal affairs, OSI received 2,771 complaints about
employees between August 2004 and October 2005. Over 1800 of these were originally
declined for investigation by the DHS Office of the Inspector General and referred to OSI. Most of the remaining complaints were delivered to OSI by the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility once they gave up jurisdiction over USCIS complaints. The majority of all complaints received by OSI are service complaints (e.g., an alien complaining that he did not receive his immigration status in a timely way) or administrative issues (e.g., allegations of nepotism).”

“However, almost 20 percent of them—528 of the 2,771—allege criminal activities. Alleged crimes include bribery, harboring illegal aliens, money laundering, structuring, sale of documents, marriage fraud, extortion, undue foreign influence, and making false statements, among other things. Also included among these complaints are national security cases; for example, allegations of USCIS employees providing material support to known terrorists or being influenced by foreign intelligence services. Complaints with clear national security implications represent a small share of the total, but in cases such as these, even one is too many.”

As I spoke with Mr. Maxwell, I sensed his passion for former job, his love for our country, and his concern for our future. As Mr. Maxwell has documented, we not only face enemies from the outside, our enemies have effectively infiltrated the very government agencies that are charged with protecting us. When he identified the threats to our national security, he was rebuffed by high-ranking government officials. The more he tried to make his superiors aware of the severity and magnitude of the problems he found, greater was the resistance he encountered.

Because of his effectiveness in discharging his duties, former OSI director Michael Maxwell lost his job, his pension, and is placing his own safety –even his own life at risk by coming forward to expose the corruption he found within DHS. During our conversation, he told me that “this is just the tip of the iceberg – there is more, much more to be told.”

We are at war with terrorists who, as part of their long-term plan of taking control of the United States, are imbedding individuals within various departments of our own government. Terrorists are presently using our immigration system – and individuals who hold positions within that system - to infiltrate the United States. In this case, one man has done his duty to investigate and identify threats to the security of our nation only to be rebuffed by the senior leaders of the government agencies who have the ability to repair the problems and close the holes in our national security.

I am thankful for the courage and candor exhibited by former director Michael Maxwell and the men and women who are currently working to keep our country safe. I am grateful that he has placed the safety and security of our nation over his own by exposing the threats to our national security from the inside.

Now, we need to act on his findings while we still can. Time is running short, the immigration system is out of control, and there are individuals on the inside – those who have already been identified, who continue to provide material support to known terrorists as the taxpayers of the U.S. continue to pay their salaries.

As Mr. Maxwell stated, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the coming days, weeks and months, more of that iceberg will be exposed – you can count on it.


LINK: Testimony of Michael J. Maxwell (PDF file)

© Copyright 2006, Northeast Intelligence Network. Reprint permission is granted with proper attribution and link to this web site.

[falcon]

Need to connect Michael J. Maxwell with this group.

June 29, 2006

Illegal Alien Employers Will Face Lawsuits for Unfair Business Practices

Jim Kouri, CPP

With the federal government's failure to curtail the onslaught of illegal aliens into the United States, coupled with the inaction of lawmakers in Washington, DC to pass real immigration reform, some Americans are looking at legal alternatives to thwart illegal immigration and those who facilitate it.

In addition, more and more Americans are recognizing that state governments aren't doing anything to curb illegal immigration, and, in fact, several states even aid illegal aliens or provide incentives. Also employers who hire illegal aliens create the driving force for illegals to enter the US in order to secure gainful employment.

For years, employers in California have known that they could hire illegal aliens without having to worry very much about as far as being prosecuted for breaking the law. Soon, however, they may have something serious to worry about: their competitors taking legal action against them.

According to legal experts, a Californian civil law includes a provision for a company that knowingly employs illegal aliens to be sued by competitors who have suffered economic damages as a result of such an illegal practice. When a construction company, for instance, uses minimum wage workers who are illegal aliens to underbid competitors in order to secure work contracts, those companies who hire Americans and legal "green card" immigrants and pay fair wages will be able to sue the illegal aliens' employer in a court of law.

As a result, dozens of scofflaw employers may soon find themselves in court as defendants. David Klehm, an Orange County attorney and founder of the IllegalEmployers.org website, together with the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), a Washington, DC-based public interest law center affiliated with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), are planning to file lawsuits against companies that knowingly hire illegal aliens. The lawsuits will be brought against businesses that hire illegals by a battery of lawyers who can best be described as Minutemen of the courts.

The suits -- some to be filed as early as this summer -- will seek restitution, damages and market protections on behalf of law-abiding small and medium-sized business owners who obey the law and use due diligence to identify illegal aliens who submit phony identification documents. Also, while the plaintiffs may be small to medium-sized companies, the defendents in these suits may be large corporations.

"Honest business owners and hardworking Americans are the forgotten victims of unenforced laws against illegal immigration," said Klehm.

"Since setting up IllegalEmployers.org I have received numerous requests for assistance from law-abiding employers who are struggling to stay in business because they face unfair competition from other companies who hire illegal aliens at lower wages, without benefits, and who often get away without contributing to the worker's compensation fund. The employers we represent are not asking for any special breaks; they just want to be able to compete for business on a level playing field," the experienced attorney wrote in a statement.

The Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement (FIRE) group, creator of the WeHireAliens.com website, has also played a crucial role in identifying scofflaw employers.

"Our alliance seeks companies that have lost business as the result of the illegal hiring practices of their competitors," explained Mike Hethmon, an attorney for IRLI.

"We are working with David Klehm because we believe that removing the economic incentives to hire illegal aliens is a key to solving this national crisis. We see this alliance as a model for cooperation between citizens concerned about illegal immigration and the
majority of American businesses that are concerned about the effects of illegal immigration on the US economy," he said.

IRLI, which was founded as a legal advocacy group dedicated to representing the interests of American citizens in immigration law, has helped employers and legal workers recover damages using federal RICO statutes (Racketeering Influence and Criminal Organization Act).

"Even though the federal government is refusing to protect honest employers by enforcing laws against hiring illegal aliens, California law provides those employers a mechanism to defend themselves. This is the first time these state laws have been used to fight the effects of illegal immigration, but it won't be the last," noted Hethmon.

There are other states that have laws that may provide remedies to unfair business practices such as hiring illegal aliens at lower wages. Attorneys working for nonprofit, public interest organizations will be closely watching and studying the upcoming California cases

According to Klehm, honest businesses in the Golden State have lost billions of dollars over the years as a result of being undercut by competitors who employ illegal aliens. Under the law, they are entitled to compensation.

"For some of our clients, their only choice is to file a lawsuit or file bankruptcy papers," said Klehm.

"It is a choice that unfortunately been forced on them by the government's failure to enforce explicit laws against hiring illegal aliens. People who obey the law should not be forced into bankruptcy by those who don't."

The idea is simple: make hiring illegal aliens so costly that companies will find it in their best interest to avoid hiring illegal aliens. If there are no jobs for illegals, then the number of people sneaking into the US will dwindle, making US borders easier to protect against criminal aliens, drug and human traffickers, and terrorists.


www.opinioneditorials.com/freedomwriters/jcpp_20060629.html

[samizdat]

Ice, ICE baby. Significant news. Has customs been infiltrated by Spetsnaz? Bravo for Maxwell.

"They made my life a living hell," Maxwell said.

May after descending to hell, he rise from the dead. Rubles bought Customs. HMMM. Sounds like a cold war. Thats what they want. Permafrost towards Mexico. The border war trap. Follow the money.

[samizdat]

More than 7 million immigration-related "benefit" claims are adjudicated every year, which Maxwell and other critics say have led immigration officers to "rubber-stamp" green card and citizenship applications. Many CIS service centers have policies that reward immigration officers who adjudicate the highest number of cases per day, giving them additional paid leave and other benefits.

Maxwell said that his office had received complaints of "USCIS employees providing material support to known terrorists or being influenced by foreign intelligence services."


One USCIS employee, "co-opted by a foreign intelligence entity," had "the ability to grant the immigration of their choosing to the person or persons of their choosing," Maxwell said in his sworn testimony.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...3/154454.shtml