SubscribeHutchison on defensive over border fence amendment
January 12, 2008
“In an uncharacteristic display of public frustration with party colleagues, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday sharply criticized two Republican congressmen who had accused her of a stealth effort to derail the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative blogs and pundits have attacked Hutchison ever since Reps. Peter King of New York and Duncan Hunter of California accused the Texas Republican of essentially repealing Congress’ mandate to build 700 miles of fencing.” (Houston Chronicle)
Feds take border fence fight to court
January 9, 2008
“The Justice Department as early as next week will go to court to force 102 property owners along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, including 71 in Texas, to allow surveyors to determine if the border fence should be built on their lands.
The 102 land owners — including 20 in California and 11 in Arizona — either rebuffed or ignored a 30-day deadline given by the Department of Homeland Security to provide access to their lands for the fence, which has been particularly hotly contested in the Rio Grande Valley.” (Houston Chronicle)
Coding error to blame for DHS award to Chenega
November 26, 2007
An agency of the Homeland Security Department improperly awarded a 10-year, $475 million sole-source contract in 2003 to the Alaskan Native firm Chenega Technology Services Corp., according to a new report from the department’s inspector general.
The Customs and Border Protection contract with Chenega is for maintenance, repair and operation of metal detectors, X-ray screening devices and other inspection and screening equipment at border checkpoints, airports and seaports, IG Richard L. Skinner explained. As of February 2007, the department had spent $141 million on the contract. (Washington Technology)
Gov’t develops new Indian status card
November 23, 2007
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has developed a secure prototype of the certificate of Indian status card.The card will be made available this summer, but whether it can be used in place of a passport next year, when more stringent rules will be in place covering documentation needed to cross the United States border, is not known.
“I hope we are going to be able to utilize that card to be able to do what we do as First Nations people to enhance our spirituality by allowing us to practise our culture,” said Mike Pinay, a Regina elder. (The Star Phoenix)
GAO exposes lax border, port security
November 8, 2007
Government inspectors guarding the nation’s ports of entry are understaffed, fatigued from excessive overtime, poorly trained and frequently fail to question visitors entering the country, according to an audit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations.
The Government Accountability Office, in an audit released this week, said that although CBP inspectors have had some success in identifying individuals not authorized to enter the U.S., they allowed ‘’several thousand” criminals and inadmissible immigrants to enter in fiscal year 2006. (Houston Chronicle)
More than 20 people arrested in immigration raid at O’Hare
November 8, 2007
In a string of early morning raids today, federal and local authorities cracked down on a wide-ranging scheme to provide illegal aliens with fake ID badges that allowed them to work at O’Hare Airport.
The fraudulent security badges gave the illegal or undocumented immigrants access to the tarmac at O’Hare, where they loaded pallets, freight and meals onto commercial airliners. The badges were issued by the city’s Dept. of Aviation. (Chicago Sun Times)
