Illegals Take Jobs in Aviation, Nuclear Energy
Illegals Take Jobs in Aviation, Nuclear Energy
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 12:55 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
March 15, 2005 No. 1214
"The U.S.' Message to Osama is Clear, We're Going to Get You, Unless
You're Willing to Work a Job No American is Willing to Take"
-- Rep. Tom Tancredo
There are two major news stories on illegal aliens who took jobs in the
United States.
In Florida, illegal aliens using fake Social Security cards worked as
contract painters at a nuclear power plant in Florida run by Progress
Energy. If that wasn't amazing enough, read this quote by a Florida
Republican:
said Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, Florida Republican.
"According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Progress Energy did absolutely nothing wrong.
Hmmmmmmm. Here we have a nuclear power plant that employs illegal
aliens, and yet the company that employed them didn't do a thing wrong.
Am I missing something here??? I thought hiring illegal aliens was
against the law, but of course Jeb Bush's state may operate by
different rules.
The article isn't very specific, but apparently a labor union blew the
whistle on the illegal aliens. Could it be that some of the union's
members are getting fed up with the support the AFL-CIO gives for
illegal immigration?
Progress Energy investigated and notified authorities after
a union organization sent a letter on Wednesday alleging
that seven Brock employees had fraudulent Social Security
numbers. Kimble said several of those numbers checked out,
however.
In North Carolina 27 illegal aliens were using fake SS cards to work as
labor contractors for TIMCO, an aviation maintenance company at the
Piedmont Triad International Airport. The aliens didn't do just grunt
jobs either:
At least two of the 24 alleged, illegal immigrants had obtained
professional licenses, issued by the Federal Aviation
Administration, to work on some of the most technical parts of an
airplane, The two, Jorge Chacon of Panama and Percy Vega of Peru,
both live in Greensboro, according to the Landings.com Web site
that records such aviation licenses.
The aircraft workers that were arrested at Piedmont Triad International
Airport were also carrying North Carolina drivers licenses that
shouldnt have been issued. That's no surprise because North Carolina
has gained a reputation as an easy mark for illegal aliens that want
driver's licenses:
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has improved somewhat at
keeping licenses from them, OConnell said. But the state still
attracts "van loads of illegal aliens coming from Connecticut,
New Jersey, Georgia and South Carolina" for licenses, he said.
TIMCO absolved their responsibility to the safety of the people who use
these airplanes when they claimed that this is "an immigration issue,
not a safety or security issue." TIMCO executives also claim that not
only is it not their fault that illegal aliens were hired, there is
nothing they could have done to prevent the hiring. Sadly, the
following statement might even be true:
TIMCO is careful to screen people before hiring them, but it
must follow federal guidelines that limit how hard a company
can press for proof of citizenship or immigration status.
One of the company's labor lawyers said, for example, companies
must stop once an applicant has presented any two forms of
identification the federal government lists as acceptable.
"You can't say, 'I want to see a green card,' " said the lawyer,
Raaiza Hall of Atlanta
TIMCO uses illegal aliens for the same reason so many other US
employers do - cheap labor.
"TIMCO hired them because they are cheap," said Dunham,
a Summerfield resident whose Washington-based group claims
to be the nation's "largest grass-roots air safety organization."
----- This doesn't get any better! -----
One of TIMCOs contractors who supplied some of the illegals is a
company that calls itself S.M.A.R.T. Aviation of Florida!
Material Used for this Newsletter
http://tancredo.house.gov/pressers/03.14.05%20Illegals%20Working%20in%20Airport%20and%20Nuclear%20Plant.htm
Tancredo press release
TANCREDO SHOCKED AT ILLEGAL ALIENS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050311-103449-5962r.htm
Illegals at power plant prompt call for legislation
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050312/NEWS/503120371/1004
Illegal Alien Gets Into Nuclear Plant
3 men used bogus Social Security numbers to work at Crystal River.
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/arrestfolo031005.htm
20 suspects carried N.C. licenses
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/gso/timco_031105.htm
TIMCO employed 6 charged
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/timco_folo_031205.htm
Arrests raise air-safety concerns
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/14/ldt.01.html
LOU DOBBS TONIGHT Aired March 14, 2005
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://tancredo.house.gov/pressers/03.14.05%20Illegals%20Working%20in%20Airport%20and%20Nuclear%20Plant.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carlos Espinosa
March 14, 2005 202/225-7882
TANCREDO SHOCKED AT ILLEGAL ALIENS EMPLOYMENT OPPORT 66,69,254,99,131,203
shingtontimes.com/national/20050311-103449-5962r.htm">http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050311-103449-5962r.htm
The Washington Times
Illegals at power plant prompt call for legislation
By Stephen Dinan
Published March 12, 2005
Illegal aliens using false Social Security numbers were able to enter
and work as contract painters at a power plant in Florida, including
work near one nuclear reactor.
Officials at Progress Energy, which runs the Crystal River Energy
Complex in Citrus County, say they followed federal regulations and
that the contractor should have better vetted its employees.
Now a congresswoman is calling for hearings on how the lapse could
have happened and calling for the Senate to pass a bill cracking down
on illegal aliens' ability to obtain government identification.
"We certainly don't want to have one illegal alien at a nuclear
power plant, let alone several," said Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, Florida
Republican. "According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Progress
Energy did absolutely nothing wrong. They followed the guidelines. But
in today's world, the terrorists are just itching to get at us. We need
to have more assurances than just pass to the contractor that's been
hired."
She said the incident illustrated the need for the Senate to pass
the REAL ID act, which passed the House in February and sets national
standards for the use of driver's licenses in federal facilities -- an
incentive for states to make sure applicants are in the country
legally.
Progress Energy said at least two workers used identification with
false Social Security numbers to enter the facility as part of their
contract job, and officials at the Florida Gulf Coast Building and
Construction Trades Council said the number could be as high as seven.
The individuals worked for Brock Specialty Services, a Texas-based
company that was hired to do maintenance at the facility.
Progress Energy spokesman Rick Kimble said the energy company
followed the NRC's guidelines. "Point blank, it should not have
happened. We obviously should be taking steps in the future to make
sure it does not happen," he said. "But we followed the regulations
that were required. We also think the contractor had an obligation to
do pre-screening as well."
Brock officials couldn't be reached for comment.
Mr. Kimble said the NRC requires that persons admitted to power
plants have valid government-issued identification, which these workers
had. He said the men provided Social Security numbers to be matched
against law-enforcement databases, but the false numbers the workers
gave didn't raise any red flags.
He said the plant has four fossil fuel units and one reactor. He
said just one person who submitted a false Social Security number had
access to the nuclear unit, and he, like any other visitor, had a
constant escort.
The building and construction union first raised the issue as part
of a complaint about contractors at the power company. Michael J.
Jeske, secretary-treasurer for the union, said no matter how the
workers managed to gain access, something was broken.
"That doesn't give the local community a very good feeling, if you
have a situation where undocumented foreigners can get access to a
nuclear power plant and that doesn't violate anything," he said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050312/NEWS/503120371/1004
Published Saturday, March 12, 2005
Illegal Alien Gets Into Nuclear Plant
3 men used bogus Social Security numbers to work at Crystal River.
By Cory Reiss
Ledger Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other agencies are
investigating how at least one illegal immigrant used a false Social
Security number to work inside the Crystal River nuclear power plant.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of
Homeland Security detained three Mexican citizens at the site Thursday
and charged them with entering the country illegally. At least one
worked inside the nuclear complex under supervision, a spokesman for
the power plant said.
All three men used false Social Security numbers to obtain work through
a contractor for Progress Energy, which owns the site north of Tampa
that includes one nuclear reactor and four coalfired power generators,
according to the company and an immigration spokeswoman.
The incident raised concerns about soft spots in nuclear security that
terrorists could exploit.
"Of all the places where an illegal alien should not be, this is like
at the top of the list," said Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, a Republican who
lives near the plant, which is in her congressional district.
Browne-Waite's 5th Congressional District includes the northern portion
of Polk County.
Progress Energy and a spokesman for the NRC said there was never any
danger, even if the men were intent on doing harm -- something no one
claims.
Workers that were part of a crew doing maintenance and painting were
under constant supervision in the nuclear complex and went through
standard metal detector and X-ray-screening, they said.
All three men used driver's licenses to enter the facility after an
initial computer check of their Social Security numbers failed to alert
Progress Energy that they were either fake or stolen, said Rick Kimble,
a Progress spokesman in Raleigh, N.C.
Brown-Waite said the arrests show why Congress should pass legislation
that would set nationwide standards for issuing driver's licenses.
Supporters of the bill, known as the Real ID Act, say it is needed to
deter terrorists from obtaining identification relied on by airlines
and other industries. The House has passed the bill, but the Senate has
not.
Several people involved said agents for the Federal Bureau of
Investigation also were on the Crystal River site Thursday. State law
enforcement has been involved, a company memorandum says. Neither
agency would confirm or deny that.
The detained men were employees of Texas-based Brock Specialty
Services, which supplies maintenance workers at a variety of facilities
around the country.
The immigration spokeswoman said a U.S. attorney in Texas is
considering charging the men with crimes related to counterfeit
documents they allegedly gave to Brock to prove they could be legally
employed.
Brock Specialty Services gave Progress Energy a list of names and
Social Security numbers before its work crew arrived at the site,
Kimble said. Progress Energy ran those numbers through national law
enforcement databases but no red flags popped up, he said.
Kimble said only Social Security numbers that have been flagged with a
criminal record or other problem would come back with an alert. A
person could use the number of someone who is actually dead and the
company wouldn't know it, or the number could be totally false with the
same result, he said.
Only one of the three men arrested is known to have entered the nuclear
complex. He did some painting in a turbine facility but not near any
sensitive nuclear equipment, Kimble said. The other two were detained
elsewhere on the property, he said.
Progress faulted Brock Specialty Services, which it says is responsible
for checking its employees' identities. Brock issued a statement that
said there was no security breach at Crystal River and that it followed
all required procedures.
Kimble said Progress Energy, which also does not consider the incident
a security breach, has not fired the contractor but expects Brock to
cooperate with investigators. The power company says it can't be
responsible for the veracity of driver's licenses.
Progress Energy investigated and notified authorities after a union
organization sent a letter on Wednesday alleging that seven Brock
employees had fraudulent Social Security numbers. Kimble said several
of those numbers checked out, however.
The Florida Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council saw the
matter as a labor violation, at the very least.
"It's now a basic issue of the safety and security of the surrounding
community," said Michael Jeske, treasurer of the council.
Brown-Waite said she would continue to press the issue.
"Obviously the guidelines are not as airtight or as reassuring as we
would want them to be," she said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/arrestfolo031005.htm
20 suspects carried N.C. licenses
3-10-05
By Taft Wireback Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO - Most of the aircraft workers arrested Tuesday on
immigration charges at Piedmont Triad International Airport were
carrying North Carolina drivers licenses they shouldnt have been
issued.
Twenty of 24 suspected, illegal immigrants had N.C. licenses,
highlighting a continuing problem that state government has been unable
to vanquish, said Thomas OConnell of U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
"Thats not uncommon. Practically everybody we arrest has a North
Carolina drivers license on them," said OConnell, resident agent
in charge of ICEs Piedmont Triad office.
OConnells agency arrests illegal immigrants who have overstayed
their visa or otherwise entered the country illegally. It puts special
emphasis on those working in such security-sensitive areas as airports,
nuclear power plants and public utilities.
In addition to drivers licenses, immigrants taken into custody
Tuesday had a "plethora" of worrisome documents as varied as federal
airplane-repair licenses, fraudulent Social Security documents,
counterfeit green cards and a falsified passport, OConnell said.
OConnells staff joined investigators from the U.S. Department of
Transportation, the Social Security Administration and other federal
agencies in a sting that netted 27 suspects working for labor
contractors at TIMCO, an aviation maintenance company on PTIs
southeastern border.
Three turned out not to be illegal immigrants, but foreigners who were
legally in the country. They remain in custody with the other 24 for
alleged fraudulent activities not related directly to their immigration
status, OConnell said.
There is no evidence that any of those arrested Tuesday were involved
in terrorism, federal authorities say.
Many of those arrested will receive deportation hearings in Atlanta.
Some will face federal criminal charges if it turns out they used fake
documents to commit fraud. The drivers licenses would not be a major
factor in such federal charges.
But experts believe that properly controlling access to drivers
licenses is critical for national security because a license opens
doors to many privileges beyond motoring.
It could help terrorists masquerade as law-abiding residents, experts
say, giving them access to such services as a bank account and to such
sensitive areas as government buildings or passenger jets.
North Carolina has gained a reputation as an easy mark for illegal
immigrants seeking a license.
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has improved somewhat at keeping
licenses from them, OConnell said. But the state still attracts "van
loads of illegal aliens coming from Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia
and South Carolina" for licenses, he said.
Several of those arrested Tuesday had been ordered deported before, but
ignored those orders, he said.
They can be removed from the country now fairly rapidly, OConnell
said.
He praised TIMCO for its cooperative response to the crisis in its
contract work force.
Meanwhile, federal agents are looking into the 10 aviation contractors
who provide temporary workers to TIMCO, beefing up the companys
1,700-person work force of permanent workers.
None of those arrested Tuesday were TIMCO employees.
Companies providing labor include S.M.A.R.T. Aviation of Florida,
PlaneTechs of Illinois and Strom Aviation of Minnesota.
Investigators searched the home and office of a S.M.A.R.T. employee as
part of the inquiry Tuesday. A company spokeswoman declined comment.
PlaneTechs President Ian Rollo said his company provides TIMCO with
about 30 temporary workers, complies with all federal hiring
requirements and has received no notice or suggestion of wrongdoing.
Labor contractors could be charged with a violation of federal law if
it turns out they "knowingly" trafficked in illegal immigrants, said
John Long of U.S. DOTs office of inspector general.
The arrests were the latest phase in the federal governments
continuing "Operation Tarmac," a nationwide effort begun after the 2001
terrorist attacks to target illegal immigrants working in such
security-sensitive places as airports.
At least two of the 24 alleged, illegal immigrants had obtained
professional licenses, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration,
to work on some of the most technical parts of an airplane, The two,
Jorge Chacon of Panama and Percy Vega of Peru, both live in Greensboro,
according to the Landings.com Web site that records such aviation
licenses.
The U.S. DOTs overriding interest in those arrested Tuesday is to
learn which, if any, received professional licenses or certifications
through the use of false documents, such as a fraudulent Social
Security number, Long said.
"The folks that we are able to prove did this will be charged
criminally and they will be prosecuted in federal court," Long said.
Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/gso/timco_031105.htm
TIMCO employed 6 charged
3-11-05
By Taft Wireback Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- TIMCO acknowledged Thursday that six of the alleged,
illegal immigrants arrested at its aircraft maintenance plant Tuesday
were full-time company employees, contrary to what the company said
initially.
Earlier, the company at Piedmont Triad International Airport said all
27 people netted in a federal immigration sweep were contract employees
not on TIMCO's payroll.
Company spokesman Monty Hagler said that TIMCO officials first learned
the names of those arrested when they were published in Thursday's News
& Record.
"We did not have that until today," Hagler said Thursday of the list.
Hagler, an executive with Trone Public Relations, said that TIMCO then
cross-checked the list of those arrested with its personnel records and
found the six matches. Those people had been on the company's payroll
up to six years.
The other 21 people arrested were employees of brokers who provide
temporary workers to TIMCO.
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Social
Security Administration, the federal Department of Transportation and
the FBI made the arrests. The effort was part of Operation Tarmac, a
continuing federal initiative to keep illegal immigrants away from jobs
in such security-sensitive places as airports, power plants and public
utilities.
Hagler declined to release the names of the six employees suspected of
being illegal immigrants. The suspects were taken into federal custody
and await immigration proceedings in Atlanta that could lead to
deportation.
The alleged, illegal immigrant on TIMCO's payroll the longest was hired
in March 1999, Hagler said. The newest joined the company in May 2003,
he said.
Hagler said that before they were hired as full-time employees, the six
were carefully screened in every way that "we are legally entitled,"
including verifying Social Security numbers supposedly issued only to
people in this country lawfully.
He said federal investigators only unearthed the workers' questionable
immigration status using extensive, government databases that are
closed to private companies.
Hagler declined to say what types of work the six did. "They performed
a variety of jobs at TIMCO. We're not going to get into specifics. ...
These were all good, trained, supervised employees."
TIMCO repairs and refurbishes aircraft for some of the nation's
foremost cargo and passenger airlines. The work ranges from redoing
interior furnishings to overhauling engines.
Three of the 27 arrested Tuesday turned out to be in the United States
legally. But they remain in custody for investigation of other alleged
crimes.
The 27 suspects were summoned to what was billed as a mandatory,
job-related meeting Tuesday morning and then taken into custody.
Hagler said it is understandable company executives didn't immediately
know that TIMCO workers had been arrested when they missed work. He
noted the size of the company's work force.
"TIMCO has 1,700 workers working three shifts," he said.
TIMCO is careful to screen people before hiring them, but it must
follow federal guidelines that limit how hard a company can press for
proof of citizenship or immigration status, Hagler said.
One of the company's labor lawyers said, for example, companies must
stop once an applicant has presented any two forms of identification
the federal government lists as acceptable.
The list includes such documents as a passport, Social Security card,
birth certificate and driver's license.
"You can't say, 'I want to see a green card,' " said the lawyer, Raaiza
Hall of Atlanta.
Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/timco_folo_031205.htm
Arrests raise air-safety concerns
3-12-05
By Taft Wireback Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- Air safety advocates are troubled by TIMCO's use of
illegal immigrants to work on airplanes at Piedmont Triad International
Airport not only for fear of terrorism, but also out of concern for
mechanical errors that could put the flying public at risk.
The company's use of undocumented immigrants could lead to a
maintenance flaw with serious in-flight consequences, said Gail Dunham,
president of the National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation.
"TIMCO hired them because they are cheap," said Dunham, a Summerfield
resident whose Washington-based group claims to be the nation's
"largest grass-roots air safety organization."
"When people's lives are on the line, they should be hiring the very
best people, not the cheapest," she said.
Dunham said that the use of workers with uncertain backgrounds and with
possible gaps in technical knowledge is part of a general decline in
the air industry's safety net.
In a written statement, TIMCO disputed that perspective, saying the
arrest of 27 people at its PTI plant Tuesday was "an immigration issue,
not a safety or security issue."
"All work performed at TIMCO, including work performed by the
individuals detained by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
was supervised by properly certificated TIMCO employees," the statement
said, referring to Federal Aviation Administration licenses intended to
ensure aviation mechanics are properly skilled.
TIMCO added that "all critical work" is then double-checked by the
company's inspection department.
Meanwhile, the first criminal charges were unveiled Friday against
several of TIMCO's alleged illegal immigrants, one of whom is a
Greensboro resident charged with lying to the FAA to receive the type
of federal certification TIMCO mentioned in its statement.
The criminal complaint against Percy Alberto Vega, 53, of 127 Meadowood
St., says he lied about his experience and qualifications to take the
test for an "air frame and power plant" certification from the FAA.
"Percy Alberto Vega's experience ... would not meet the required amount
of time nor level of experience needed to qualify him," said Megan K.
France, senior special agent with the U.S. Department of
Transportation's office of inspector general. FAA is part of federal
DOT.
The FAA's Web site shows that Vega was awarded the so-called "A&P"
certification in September. The license entitles a mechanic to service,
repair and overhaul aircraft, including engine work.
The criminal complaint also accuses Vega of having two pieces of
fraudulent identification and overstaying the November 2002 expiration
of the work visa that entitled him to be in the country.
Two others detained Tuesday at TIMCO now also face criminal charges,
Martin Freitas Cuevas, 38, also of Peru, and Alvin Feliciano Cruz, 35,
of the Philippines. Both are charged with possessing fraudulent
identification cards.
It is unclear whether Vega, Cruz and Cuevas were permanent, full-time
TIMCO employees or worked for one of 10 labor contractors who provided
the company with temporary workers.
Investigators from ICE, DOT, the Social Security Administration and the
FBI arrested the 27 on Tuesday morning about 9:30, holding all on
noncriminal immigration violations at jails in Winston-Salem and
Charlotte.
Federal agents said criminal charges would be filed against those who
had used fake documents, especially in efforts to defraud the
government. The rest were to face administrative proceedings in Atlanta
that could lead to deportation.
Initially, TIMCO asserted that none of the detainees were "direct"
company employees, but worked instead for one of the 10 labor
contractors.
After the News & Record published the names of those facing immigration
charges Thursday, TIMCO said that six were permanent, full-time TIMCO
employees who had been on the payroll for between 22 months and six
years.
A spokesman for the company said the mistake happened because TIMCO
executives did not have a list of which workers the federal government
had rounded up until seeing it in the newspaper.
Federal authorities said that only a few of those arrested on
immigration charges had FAA licenses. The rest worked under the
supervision of licensed mechanics on airplane interiors and less
critical ares, according to a spokesman for DOT's of inspector general
office.
On the status of Vega, the Peruvian with the A&P license, it's unclear
whether the FAA knew it was licensing a Peruvian mechanic.
The A&P mechanic's license didn't mention Vega's nationality. But he
also was certified by the FAA in another license issued in 1994 as "a
foreign based" commercial pilot rated for both single- and multi-engine
aircraft, "valid only when accompanied by Republic of Peru license
number 741."
Both licenses bear his Greensboro address. The complaint against him
says he has been living in the United States off and on since March
1994.
Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/14/ldt.01.html
LOU DOBBS TONIGHT
Congress Hears Testimony on Border Security; Immigration Officials
Crack Down on Illegal Alien Gangs; Tensions Across the Taiwan Strait
Aired March 14, 2005 - 18:00 ET
DOBBS: Tonight, an alarming story out of Florida, that highlights the
danger of our porous borders. Officials say at least three -- three
illegal aliens from Mexico used fake Social Security numbers to gain
access to a power plant. At least one of them worked near the plant's
nuclear reactor.
The illegal aliens worked as painters for a contractor at the Crystal
River Energy Complex in Citrus County. Both the contractor and the
plant officials say there was never a breach of security, and they
claim they followed all required hiring procedures. Local reports say
the three men were arrested by immigration officials. The nuclear
Regulatory Commission is now investigating.
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