BRIAN ROSS REPORTS
- Like Jay-Z + the Beatles, But Worse
- Update: Help for Homeless Children
- Bush Era, Revised -- and with More Barbeque
- The Tax Woman Cometh
- Paging Mr. Stanford: Antigua Called
- Who Are You Calling Partisan?
- Update: IRS Won't Use Private Debt Collectors
- But Is It Art?
- PMA Scandal a Sore Point for Dems in 2010?
- Down in Flames
- A New Mystery for RNC Chief
- PMA Clients Were Big Givers
- Raided Lobby Firm Still a Force on Capitol Hill
- Stanford Update: Another $143 Mil Found
- Cheney, Hooked on Controversy
TOP BLOTTER CATEGORIES
- Abramoff Lobbying Scandal
- American Al Qaeda
- Avian Flu
- Beirut Hospital Out of Gas
- Cheney
- CIA
- CIA Secret Prisons
- D.C. Madam Affair
- FBI
- Federal Air Marshal Service
- Homeland Security
- Hurricane Katrina
- IRS
- Mark Foley Internet Scandal
- Millionaire Sex Scandal
- Nigerian E-mail Scams
- Norman Hsu, Clinton Fundraiser
- NSA: Wiretapping
- Osama bin Laden
- Payola
- Pharmacy Investigation
- PMA
- Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
- Stanford
- Steele
- Terror
- Troopergate
- U.K. Airline Terror Plot
- U.K. Bombing Attempts
- Wen Ho Lee
- William Jefferson
- Zarqawi
« Previous | Main | Next »
FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande
Email
Print
ShareJuly 17, 2007 3:11 PM
The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.
An FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, says the illegal ring has been bringing Iraqis across the border illegally for more than a year.
Border Patrol officials in the area said they were unaware of the specifics of the FBI's report, and federal prosecutors in New Mexico told ABCNews.com they had no current cases involving the illegal smuggling of Iraqis.
The FBI report, issued last week, says the smuggling organization "used to smuggle Mexicans, but decided to smuggle Iraqi or other Middle Eastern individuals because it was more lucrative." Each individual would be charged a fee of $20,000 to $25,000, according to the report.
The people to be smuggled would "gather at a house on the Mexican side of the border" and then cross the Rio Grande into the U.S., the report says.
"Unidentified individuals would then transport them to train stations in El Paso, Texas or Belen, New Mexico," according to the FBI document.
A spokesman in Albuquerque said the FBI had "no viable information" that could lead to a case.
Until recently, the United States has kept its doors all but shut to the estimated two million refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq. Until this year, the country had taken in fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees, according to the State Department. This May, the Bush administration pledged to resettle 7,000 Iraqi refugees here by the end of the year.
This post has been updated.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
July 17, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (597)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Just freaking lovely!
Posted by: veritas | Jul 17, 2007 3:26:40 PM
The last paragraph makes me shake my head in frustration at an otherwise useful story.
What on earth do you think Iraqis and other Middle Easterners sneaking into the US has to do with refugees fleeing violence in Iraq? Apples and oranges.
If Middle Easterners are coming all the way to Mexico and paying 25k to sneak across the US border, they're not coming for a career move. Get your head out of the sand.
Posted by: Burt | Jul 17, 2007 3:27:10 PM
This country is a joke!
Posted by: Truth | Jul 17, 2007 3:27:43 PM
Real nice. The smuggling of potential terrorists right under the nose of our brilliant commander in chief. Maybe Bush, McCain, and Ted Kennedy can explain all about the advantages of this special kind of "diversity."
One more 9/11 and I think this country will have had its fill of political correctness, naivety, and general stupidity & incompetence on the part of politicians and bureaucrats.
Posted by: Fedup | Jul 17, 2007 3:30:09 PM
We have known this has been going on for years now , yet you run this story as though it is a revaluation.
You should be using this space to demand a closure to the BORDER !!
PLEASE DO YOUR PART ON STOPPING THE NEXT ATTACK INSIDE OUR BORDER .This is by pardinson , "OUR" safety .
Posted by: justin case | Jul 17, 2007 3:30:57 PM
If one American is killed because George Bush and Michael Chertoff and the Congress and Senate have failed to secure our borders, they should be brought up on complicity to commit murder charges.
Posted by: Andy | Jul 17, 2007 3:31:21 PM
Brian Ross appears to be carrying the water for the Administration. Believe me that there are no Iraqis coming over the Mexican border. This is a ploy by the Bushies to set up the next false flag operation on US soil. The revolution is coming soon . . .
Posted by: Travis | Jul 17, 2007 3:31:44 PM
If we would have started building the fence on 9/12/01 we wouldn't have this problem. But because we're soft and cave in to every crybaby and special interest group we are vulnerable.
All the lefties and the hate America first crowd must be real proud of their accomplishment. The responsibility for the next attack rests squarely on their shoulders.
Posted by: Webo | Jul 17, 2007 3:32:39 PM
I think the FBI report goes a long way to substantiating the claim that AQ may use Iraqi AQ to attack in the US, and soon.
I don't understand how you manage to contrive the story into something about immigration and refugees from Iraq.
Posted by: Harry | Jul 17, 2007 3:33:24 PM
We need these Iraqis to perform tasks that Americans are not willing to do!
Posted by: nologic | Jul 17, 2007 3:33:53 PM
watch out...Ted Kennedy will head up a bill that will criminalize our persecution of these new hard-working citizens....to be politically correct we will have to call them....hmmmm "Terrorist-Americans"
Posted by: kevin | Jul 17, 2007 3:33:55 PM
As Soon as we loose a big city and or have another 911 the sooner we can get on with fixing the problem ...
Posted by: Big Ronnie | Jul 17, 2007 3:34:55 PM
Build the fence now!
Posted by: Dennis | Jul 17, 2007 3:35:52 PM
They are just adding numbers to the army of the enemy within our borders, that's my 2 cents...
Posted by: Thefix | Jul 17, 2007 3:36:34 PM
This is a no brainer! We haven't or won't defend our borders what the hell do you think is going to happen. Of course terrorists are going to come across. Gee how did Bush drop the ball on this????
Posted by: Russ Chretien | Jul 17, 2007 3:36:37 PM
BUSH set this up??? are you a child or just completely dumb....The FBI made this report!!!!...all you conspiracy theorists need to forgive your daddy for not loving you enough and get over yourself......
Posted by: kevin | Jul 17, 2007 3:37:04 PM
Surprise, Surprise!
(only to the stupid politicians)!
Posted by: aiko | Jul 17, 2007 3:37:28 PM
This is precisely why George Bush must be impeached immediately. He doesn't care about the security of the united states.
I don't think the democrats have any answers but Bush has had almost 6 years since 9/11 to close the border. He has failed and violated the oath of his office. He must leave.
Posted by: deroy | Jul 17, 2007 3:37:47 PM
I cannot believe Mexican nationals are being smuggled into the United States! This is unheard of!
Posted by: Brian Bryant | Jul 17, 2007 3:38:33 PM
It concerns me greatly that the threat posed by al qaida to attack the U.S. isn't being taken seriously by American politicians. It seems to be politics as usual in Washington.
Posted by: D. Faica | Jul 17, 2007 3:38:33 PM
Post a comment
