| Illegal Aliens Working At
Sensitive Military Sites
(Note from K: Every individual and organization reading this should submit letters demanding this policy change, NOW! White House phone: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-2461 Congress Toll-Free [all of these may not work at any given time]: 800-648-3516 or 877-762-8762 or 877-778-9001 or 800-889-0229 or 888-892-6948) March 26, 2003 By Michael Gaddy Common sense would dictate that with our recent invasion of Iraq and all the hoopla about color-coded alerts our sensitive military facilities would be secure. Think Again. The Washington Times reported that a number of illegal aliens were arrested or detained while working at several military installations recently. On Jan. 22, Border Patrol and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officers raided the USS John F. Kennedy, an aircraft carrier that was undergoing renovations at Mayport Naval Station in Florida. They arrested 11 illegals working on the ship. All were from Mexico. But 54 others scattered and got away. The Florida Times-Union reported, "It is unknown what countries the missing workers are from." Rep. Ander Crenshaw, Florida Republican, wrote to the secretary of the Navy: "In this time of heightened security, I was concerned to learn that non-U.S. citizens were allowed to perform work on a United States aircraft carrier without being fully vetted and screened." "The bottom line in this story is national security," Mr. Crenshaw told the Times-Union. "We have to be clear about who is trying to access our ships and our military facilities." Ironically, the Director of Security at Cape Canaveral saw the report of the incident at Mayport and called the INS to see what could be done to make sure something similar did not happen at the Cape. He was indeed shocked to receive a bulletin which stated: "Employers do not need to -- and should not attempt to -- verify 'A' numbers or INS documentation of alien workers in general, or even of individuals whom they suspect for any reason to be ineligible to work." Obviously, documentation had not been checked at the Kennedy Space Center, either. On Feb. 18, the AP reported, Border Patrol agents arrested four illegals working "inside a restricted area of the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station." The illegals were from Mexico -- a fact that only could have been discovered after their arrest. As if all this is not bad enough, take a look at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, the nation's largest repository of nuclear missiles. It is home to the 90th Space Wing, whose mission says the base Web site, "is to defend America with the world's most powerful combat-ready ICBM force." On Feb. 26, INS arrested 37 Latin American illegals working construction projects at the base. How did INS catch them? Did Orange Alerts and super-sleuth work by the FBI lead to this discovery? No, The Rocky Mountain (Colo.) News reported that on February 7, base security noticed five people strolling out the main gate during a restricted period. They turned out to be illegals. Almost three weeks later, INS made its arrests. FBI Director Robert Mueller recently told the Senate Intelligence Committee that for its next target, al Qaeda is likely to pick something with "high symbolic value," perhaps a "high-profile government" facility or "famous landmark." Real Americans, there is something terribly wrong here. Concerned Americans, trying to protect not only personal property, but also the security of the nation, are being arrested for their efforts. Illegal aliens are being allowed to work at sensitive military and defense facilities. Our government does not even want the identities of these possible terrorists checked. Just how hard would it be for Cuban agents -- or anyone for that matter -- to cross the southern border and deliver murder and mayhem to our citizens? Why does this government not seem to care? We had best demand answers to these questions -- and soon. Copyright 2003 The Sierra Times |