Mr. Ghanim, I have learned from very reliable sources tonight that a bail bond has been acted on behalf of some of these folks and there is work going on for the rest. This is the most encouraging news I heard. I am encouraging all again to contribute and even start any kind of collections they can do in their small communities to help. Any amount I am sure they will be welcomed. So please, may I emphasiz again. One does not know when and who might be the next victim. Let us all work together and get something done. God bless us all. Ousman Jallow Bojang. --- Habib Diab-Ghanim <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > [log in to unmask] has recommended this article from > The Christian Science Monitor's electronic edition. > > FYI > What has happened to our brothers in Atlanta - > please update. I pray that they get released soon. > Habib > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Click here to email this story to a friend: > http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/send-story?2002/03/06/text/p01s01.txt > > Click here to read this story online: > http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0306/p01s01-usju.html > > > Headline: A new dragnet for illegal workers > Byline: Ron Scherer Staff writer of The Christian > Science Monitor > Date: 03/06/2002 > (NEW YORK)Haitian Jean-Claude Cazeau was a janitor > at Logan Airport. Far from his > native Malaysia, Shamshad Bagam Karim was a parking > valet at Las > Vegas's McCarran Airport. And Alvaro Pardo, > originally from Chile, > worked at a candy store at the Salt Lake City > airport. > > Within the past weeks, all three have been arrested > and now face the > possibility of jail time and deportation. They were > detained for > allegedly using some form of false identification to > obtain their jobs > - each in a secure area of an airport. > > The expanding dragnet symbolizes a hardening stance > by federal > authorities toward illegal immigrants of all > nationalities who they > think might pose a security threat. > > While law-enforcement officials have yet to link any > of the people > recently arrested - almost all of whom are Latinos - > to terrorists, > they believe that undocumented workers are > susceptible to being > approached by nefarious groups. > > Critics, however, believe the undocumented workers > are being unfairly > targeted. Consequently, the new sweeps are setting > off a debate over > the extent to which illegal immigrants, many of whom > have been allowed > to work unmolested in such low-wage jobs for years, > will and should be > prosecuted in a post-Sept. 11 world. > > For some of the US public, the issue results in a > conflict in values. > "Americans have an ambivalent attitude toward > illegal immigrants," says > James Lindsay, an immigration specialist at the > Brookings Institution > in Washington. "They expect people to obey the law, > but they don't put > too much pressure to arrest them and argue it's > unfair or > counterproductive." > > The Bush administration, for its part, seems to be > adopting a > zero-tolerance policy. One Justice Department > official says making > airports safer is of the highest priority for the > administration - and > the latest moves are intended to fulfill the intent > of legislation > passed after Sept. 11. > > "Undocumented workers represent a significant threat > to the flying > public," says Natalie Collins, a spokeswoman for the > US Attorney's > office in Las Vegas. "Because they are illegal, they > are susceptible to > compromise." > > Airport workers may not be the only ones under > scrutiny. US > investigators are expected to also go through > employment applications > at nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams, and > other > security-sensitive facilities. > > One mayor's stand > > So far, some 100 airport workers have been arrested. > After the arrests, > Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake City, sent a > letter to 40 other > mayors warning them about the federal raids and > urging them to "get the > word out that if there is a problem, they [the > workers] need to get out > and find other employment." > > Mr. Anderson, who has received a lot of hate mail > because of his stand, > calls the US policy "hypocritical." He says the > government just "winks > and nods" when it comes to illegals working in > hotels, food, or lawn > care. "Let's resolve this by giving them fair > notice," he says. > > However, those under arrest are often unquestionably > in violation of > the law by using false Social Security Numbers > (SSNs) or forged "green > cards." But the charge has hardly ever been used > because of the number > of illegal workers. Mr. Lindsay says there are > estimates of 7 million > to 11 million undocumented workers in the US. > > Through the 1970s and 1980s, anyone could make up an > SSN and no one > would pay attention, says Chris Hibbert of Computer > Professionals for > Social Responsibility in Palo Alto, Calif. > > By the 1990s, employees needed a matching name and > number, unless their > employer turned a blind eye. Then, people with > access to numbers, such > as bank employees or healthcare workers, started > selling them for $20 > to $100 apiece, he says. Recently, the Social > Security Administration > arrested some of its own employees in Chicago for > selling numbers to > illegal immigrants. > > In 2000, the government arrested or indicted 219 > people in 182 cases > for using falsified SSNs. Last year, there were 242 > subjects in 207 > cases, and overall the Social Security > Administration said that about > 21 million names did not match up with Social > Security numbers for any > number of reasons - ranging from marriages to > foreign names to fraud. > > To pursue these cases - as well as other instances > of fraud - there are > 279 criminal investigators working for the Social > Security inspector > general. > > A changed world > > Social Security investigators stress that it is the > changed world since > Sept. 11 that is causing the sudden interest in > immigrants' > documentation. "If someone can falsify documents and > get a > high-security badge, they can potentially put a bomb > on a plane or > anything else," says Dennis Lynch, special agent in > charge of Social > Security's Strategic Enforcement Division. "We are > talking issues of > protecting our critical infrastructure, including > dams, bridges, and > nuclear power plants." > > Yet the rush to secure the airports illustrates some > of the > difficulties involved. Sometimes, for example, the > documents that > federal agents are pouring over are not up to date. > In Salt Lake City, > one person charged had left the airport for a > construction job two > months prior to the raid. The charges against him > were dropped - as > were those against pregnant women and mothers with > newborns. > > All this is part of larger changes taking place > behind the scenes in > the nation's airports. It's not just the screeners - > now federal > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Try FREE Yahoo! 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