Border Agents Let Fake IDs Go Through
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.
At nine border crossings, on both 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 come as Congress considers delaying a 2007 deadline requiring passports or 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 are sometimes unable to verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic.
“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
Why is there never anyone with a name who can be attributed to official statements? Anyway…
I’m not saying border security isn’t important, but with enough motivation, anyone can go anywhere. If security is tight, route around it. I’m betting North Dakota is a pretty good entry point to the USA.
Don’t get me wrong – I think they should do a better job, but they really are a minor part of the problem.
what bugs me is that we are supposed to be surrendering all this privacy in exchange for some additional security. so now it is a lousy trade on another level – they aren’t even trying!
Whenever we cross the border from Canada, I always have our ID handy and hand it to the agent as we are saying help. I found this always drops the questions to where were you, how long out of the country, and do you have anything to declare. Usually we are out of there in 60 seconds or less. If we don’t offer ID first, the questions usually take much longer. As a fact, I can’t say how seriously they check the ID.
Doug, in fairness to the Border Agents, the lineups often are over an hour long where we cross from Canada. Often I have seen the traffic backed up for several miles. This is another case of not enough people to adequately do the job. They might not be totally innocent, but nor are they totally useless or guilty.
3. Oh, I would not solely blame the low-level guy. He’s not making policy, and if there is one thing that management excells at is “unfunded mandates.” Adding duties without adding personnel. Nonetheless – the modus operandi of the national security state is to diminish freedom and privacy instead of just trying harder with the tools they have.
The longer lines at the borders and at the airports and at the bus stations and at the Superbowl are all for show, folks. They’re just slowing you down and looking you over to see what color your skin is, and what your accent sounds like.
I like this.
with all the digital security laws they are passing, and wanting to TAP everyone in the US, on Cellphones and computer.
That security in IMPORTS(can only cover 10%) and at the borders, is the MOST lax.
HOw you THINK they can do terrorism?? By PHONE??? From Saud?? “Im gonna push my # key and hurt your ears!!”
If you LOOK WHITE, you can go thru?? Is this the mentality of this group?? Dont they understand that 2/3 of this religion isnt from the Middle east??
Stick a finger in my ear, and act Naturally….
The Home Security statement “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”.
Does Homeland Security think that this will reduce the number of counterfeit ID’s and no one will step up and take his place in this profitable business? Why not alert/train the border agents to recognize these fake ID’s and stop the user of the fake ID at the border? The User of the fake ID would have purchase a bad product would have been unsuccesful at crossing the border and the Counterfeiter would get a reputation for selling a bad product and lose business.
Wake up America, if you gave your boss similar reasons for not getting the job done there would be someone else doing your job.
The problem is that there are thousands of “acceptable” ID’s at this point – no single individual is likely to be able to remember them.
Washington’s solution will be to create “valid ID #n+1” that everybody will have to spend hours to get by producing documents heralding our conception or some such equally difficult or silly procedure.
Then the necessary hardware to verify them will be created by somebody’s brother-in-law and won’t function. Bush and/or Israel will be blamed….
Cynic? Moi?
Regards
The proliferation of good-looking, fake ID cards takes advantage of the fact that a picture on a card isn’t much proof of identification at all. How tough can they be to make? Border security should get real: The fakes will continue until a better authentication scheme is required for passage.
I consulted on terrorism for DHS, the FBI and the DOJ and um, well we’re screwed. The whole DHS at the Federal and state levels is all about the money in the political pork barrel and careers.
The security of the United States? HA HA HA! HO HO HO!