Border agents let fake IDs go through?

Question

http://new.yahoo.com -Border agents let fake IDs go through - How awful is this ?

WASHINGTON - Undercover investigators entered the United States using fake documents repeatedly this year — including some cases in which Homeland Security Department agents didn't ask for identification.

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At nine border crossings on the Mexico and Canadian borders, agents "never questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents," according to Government Accountability Office testimony to be released Wednesday.

"This vulnerability potentially allows terrorists or others involved in criminal activity to pass freely into the United States from Canada or Mexico with little or no chance of being detected," concluded the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, in testimony obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The findings, to be presented to the Senate Finance Committee, come as Congress considers delaying a 2007 deadline requiring passports or a small number of previously approved tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States.

Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said agents are trained to identify false birth certificates, driver's licenses and other documents. But he conceded that agents sometimes cannot verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic.

"This creates a security vulnerability we were hoping to close" with the deadline at the end of next year, Agen said.

The GAO probe follows a similar inquiry in 2003 and 2004 when undercover investigators crossed unhindered into the United States at least 14 times using counterfeit drivers' licenses and, in one case, an expired, altered U.S. diplomatic passport. During that investigation,

The findings, to be presented to the Senate Finance Committee, come as Congress considers delaying a 2007 deadline requiring passports or a small number of previously approved tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States.

Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said agents are trained to identify false birth certificates, driver's licenses and other documents. But he conceded that agents sometimes cannot verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic.

"This creates a security vulnerability we were hoping to close" with the deadline at the end of next year, Agen said.

The GAO probe follows a similar inquiry in 2003 and 2004 when undercover investigators crossed unhindered into the United States at least 14 times using counterfeit drivers' licenses and, in one case, an expired, altered U.S. diplomatic passport. During that investigation,

however, border agents in New York and Florida stopped three undercover officials who were using expired and forged passports, drivers' licenses or birth certificates.

By comparison, between February and June 2006, 18 GAO investigators breezed by border agents at checkpoints in California, Texas, Michigan, Idaho, Washington state, and twice each in Arizona and New York. In two cases — in Arizona and California — border agents did not ask the undercover investigators for any identification.

In a third case, in Texas, investigators offered to show identification — a counterfeit Virginia drivers' license. The border agent replied, "OK, that would be good," but released the investigators before inspecting it, according to the prepared testimony by GAO investigator Gregory D. Kutz.

Two of the 9/11 hijackers used fake Virginia residency certificates to get valid state ID cards needed to board the planes that flew into the World Trade Center. Neither GAO probe specified the location

of any border checkpoints investigators went through.

The 9/11 Commission called for tougher ID card rules at borders to help prevent terrorists from entering the country. Responding, Congress in 2004 approved requirements for all travelers — including Americans — to show passports or a small number of other approved secure documents before entering the U.S.

Those requirements are supposed to take effect Dec. 31, 2007. But lawmakers from states that border Canada have since rebelled, contending the rules could hamper commercial and tourist travel. They are pushing to delay the rules by 17 months to ensure Homeland Security has proper technology to speed legitimate travel though border checkpoints.

Agen said Homeland Security agents intercepted 75,000 fraudulent documents from border travelers last year. The department last month arrested a Mexican fugitive suspected of running a counterfeit document operation whose fake ID cards have turned up in all 50 states.

Sorry about the bad link but here is the whole story.

Answer 1

When I came back from vacation in Canada, the border officer asked me why I didn't have a passport. I told him that mine had expired and since I was going to Canada I knew I didn't need to get one before my trip. I also said that I understood they were going to delay the passport requirements.

He looked alarmed and said "I hadn't heard that." He then said that he wished they would get the passport requirements in place. In his words "How the hell am I supposed to know what a birth certificate from Quebec looks like?"

Answer 2

link is bad try reposting it

Geez when you think things couldn't get worse!! I read the other day that one (EX) border patrol agent was married to an illegal. And some were taking bribes. I think they might need to be retrained!! And people want to say that we don't need the Minutemen on the border.....that it's the Border Patrols job!! lmao what a joke.. ty for posting

Answer 3

We need to wonder WHEN not IF
we have another terrorist attack like 9/11...

If we do not clamp down on illegals and their enablers here in our nation, we will truly have a mess to clean up.

Our lives, our families, our properties and our liberties are at stake!

God Bless America!

Answer 4

you're so poorly counseled, i'm hoping you go away Thailand quickly. you'll drag down the reliable call of criminal human beings residing the following. all and sundry, highly which include the Thai police, knows BKK is a center of pretend copies. Thailand is now no longer the paper-and-pencil united states of america.... we've computers now that help spot fakes. Please sober up thoroughly till now writing the following.

Answer 5

Horrible if those agents were the same as typical soldiers at Iraqi checkpoints...
Not so bad here. They're only immigrants!

Answer 6

That's where fraud, corruption, and "I don't care anymore" come into it. Bluntly spoken, the US Border Patrol's been doing 'mission impossible' for years...in their case, they're right, it is impossible. Good call that Bush etc. are finally deciding to reinforce the law enforcement...

Answer 7

Does not surprise me. I feel a microchip coming on. That would really be bad, so they need to improve the method in which they check ppl in.

Answer 8

Corruption-Bribes-Carelessness--it is awful. We can only hope in time someone will correct each problem. Step by step.

Answer 9

Oh hell yeah....And you know that some are even illegal themselves????? Figure that one out? Read it and weep...

http://www.kfmb.com/story.php?id=20179

Answer 10

just doing what g.w.bush tells them to