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The head of the Transportation Security Administration said on Thursday that "under 1,000" illegal immigrants have been allowed to board planes using warrants as identification this calendar year -- as he faced a grilling on the matter from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Hawley asked TSA Administrator David Pekoske at a Senate hearing about a TSA policy that allows illegal immigrants to use warrants, which represent civil immigration enforcement and are not criminal arrest warrants, as an alternative form of identification.

"How many individuals have presented TSA with arrest warrants or deportation notices and been allowed to travel this calendar year?" Hawley asked.

"Under 1,000 sir," Pekoske replied.

HAWLEY SEEKS ANSWERS ON UNACCEPTABLE TSA POLICY OF ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO USE WARRANTS AS ID

Hawley had written to Pekoske earlier this year about the policy, which he called "unacceptable" but had not received a response. Pekoske said he would be receiving one on Friday.

"For noncitizens and non-U.S. nationals who do not otherwise have acceptable forms of ID for presentation at security checkpoints, TSA may also accept certain DHS-issued forms, including ICE Form I-200," a TSA spokesperson told Fox News earlier this year. That refers to a civil immigration arrest warrant.

The agency added that the document will then be validated via an "alien identification number" that involves personally identifiable information being checked against a number of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) databases, including the CBP One mobile application and TSAs National Transportation Vetting Center (NTVC).

On Thursday, Pekoske said that the presentation of a warrant marked the beginning of a further verification process.

"These individuals who have these arrest warrants, these arrest warrants were issued by Border Patrol or a customs officer, and they serve as a beginning of our identity verification process so you can't walk up to a checkpoint, wave that form and then go right through into screening," he said.

SENATE REPUBLICANS QUIZ BIDEN ADMIN ON TSA ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO USE WARRANTS AS ID

While Pekoske said those use who warrants as ID also received enhanced screening, Hawley asked if they were given an in-person interview by a federal security director -- to which Pekoske said they were only interviewed by officers present at the checkpoint.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., quizzed TSA Administrator David Pekoske on the policy. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Hawley pushed the TSA chief on why he would allow illegal immigrants with such a warrant onto a flight at all.

"We arent looking at whether a person is legal or illegal in the country," he said. "Our role is to make sure that people who may pose a risk to transportation that is significant enough to require enhanced screening or to not allow them to fly."

"So your position is someone who is known to have violated the laws of the United States does not thereby need enhanced screening?" Hawley said.

"Sir, there are people who violate the laws of the United States every day who fly," Pekoske responded. "We look for things related to transportation security."

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While Pekoske again stressed that the warrant is "the beginning of an identity verification process that follows" Hawley was not convinced.

"I think youre going to have a hard time explaining to folks who wait for all of this time in these lines, who subject themselves voluntarily to the restrictions you imposethat youre allowing illegal aliens with warrants for arrest to get on airplanes."

"I just find that totally extraordinary," he said.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, with a focus on immigration. He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter: @AdamShawNY

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TSA chief says under 1,000 illegal immigrants have been allowed to board planes with warrants as ID - Fox News

WASHINGTON, DC, July 18 During the American Revolution, patriots had a rallying cry, one if by land, two if by sea. It was Paul Reveres lantern-based signal to alert revolutionary forces as to which route the British forces were taking.Its been updated as we deal with the 21st-centuryst century invasion of illegal immigrants, as a new front opens up for the migrant invaders on our Atlantic shores.

Indeed, as the Washington Examiner put it: A thousand miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, federal law enforcement, and military that patrol the waters surroundingFloridaandPuerto Ricoare seeing the emergence of a newborder crisis.

Senator Marco Rubio [R-FL] puts the blame on the Biden administration.He said, They dont care about enforcing the law becausetheyre activists [who] support open bordersthey think the border should be open and anyone who wants to come across should.Theres no country in the world that would tolerate that.Mexico wouldnt tolerate it. Guatemalawouldnt tolerate it. Canada wouldnt tolerate it. And we shouldnt either.

The Examiner report says that over the past eight months, more than 10,000 wannabe migrants have been detained by the Coasts Guard in the waters off the coasts of Florida, Cuba, and Haiti.The Department of Homeland Security admits that more migrants are being stopped at sea than ever before.

Meanwhile, illegal traffic at our Southwest border crossings has continued to increase to historic levels since President Biden took office a year and a half ago. In a new report by Andrew Arthur at the Center for Immigration Studies [CIS], he says you can chalk it up to Mr. Bidens no-deterrence policies.

As he put it, Biden Doesnt Want to Deter Illegal Migrants He Wants to Ensure They Can Seek Asylum. These are not the best of times at the Southwest border.In fact, CBP [Customs and Border Patrol Agency] statistics reveal it is instead the worst of times.Border Patrol agents there apprehended more illegal migrants inFY 2021than in any fiscal year in history. InMay, theyapprehended more illegal migrants at the Southwest border than in any single month in history (monthly records by region go back toOctober 1999).

Why? Because the president does not want to deter the illegals. Instead, says Arthur, theofficial policyof Bidens DHS is to ensure that every alien who can make it to U.S. soil legally, illegally, fraudulently, or otherwise has a safe, orderly, and legal pathway to apply for asylum, regardless of whether they are simply coming to make more money and even if they passed through numerous asylum-granting countries on the way.

The fact of the matter is that since he took office President Biden has issued 16 executive orders blatantly aimed at making it easier for illegals to come to the U.S.He issued eight immigration related executive orders on the very day he was sworn in as president, January 20, 2021, including the Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Itinstructs the secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the attorney general to take all actions he deems appropriate, consistent with applicable law, to preserve and fortify DACA, according to the CIS.

Another of Mr. Bidens executive orders he issued that day was labeled, Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities. It cancelled an executive order that President Trump issued, which cancelled the Obama administrations immigration enforcement order that exempted nearly all aliens.Mr. Trumps order also targeted sanctuary cities and made them ineligible for federal grants, except those deemed necessary for law enforcement. The CIS analysis describes President Bidens replacement order as emphasizing family reunification, addressing illegal immigration across the southern border, reforming the asylum system, and promoting integration for new Americans [we can assume he means both legal and illegal immigrants].

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Biden Doubles Down on "No-Deterrence" Policy While Illegal Immigration Soars and a New Route Opens in the Atlantic - AMAC

A federal grand jury in San Antonio has indicted four men in connection with a deadly human smuggling incident in late June that left 53 illegal immigrants dead and injured 11 more.

The 53 people who died, three of whom were minors, were among a group of illegal immigrants found inside an 18-wheeler traileron a remote back road in southwest San Antonio on June 27.

All four of those indicted had been previously charged by prosecutors. The more serious grand jury indictments in San Antonio move the accused one step closer to trial.

Two Americansthe alleged driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, of Pasadena, Texas, and his co-defendant, Christian Martinez, 28, of Palestine, Texascould face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas.

Prosecutors announced separately that a grand jury also returned indictments against two Mexican citizens suspected of possession of a firearm while unlawfully present in the United States. Juan Claudio DLuna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco DLuna-Bilbao, 48, each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

The charges in the federal indictment against the two Americans include one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death; one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death; one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy; and one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, according to a Justice Department (DOJ)statement.

If convicted of the charges of conspiracy to transport and transport resulting in death, they face a maximum of life in prison or the death penalty. Attorney General Merrick Garland will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later time.

Should the Attorney General determine that the circumstances of the offense are such that a sentence of death is justified, the law requires that notice be filed with the court at a reasonable time before trial, the department noted.

The two men also face up to 20 years in prison for charges related to transporting resulting in serious bodily injury. The sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge upon conviction.

On the day that authorities found the truck of illegal immigrants, officers from theSan Antonio Police Department were led to Zamoranothe trucks driverwho was observed hiding in the brush after attempting to abscond.

The trailer was packed with 64 individuals and didnt have water supplies or signs of working air conditioning inside, according to a court document filed in late June.That day, temperaturesin the area reached as high as103 Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius). More than a dozen people from the truck were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses.

Martinez, according to a court document, hadtold a government confidential informant that the air conditioner wasnt working properly before authorities found them. Martinez also said that Zamorano was unaware the air conditioning unit stopped working and [that] was the reason why the individuals died.

Investigators found communications betweenZamorano and Martinez concerning the smuggling event after executing a search warrant on Zamoranos cellphone, the DOJ said.

Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) confirmed that Zamorano was the individual from surveillance footage provided by Laredo Sector Border Patrol, which shows thevehicle passing through an immigration checkpoint that day.

The driver could be seen wearing a black shirt with stripes and a hat. HSI agents confirmed Zamorano matched the individual from the surveillance footage and was wearing the same clothing, the department said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in late June that the Biden administrations illegal immigration policies are partly to blame for the deadly incident.

Republicans have attributed the spike in illegal border crossings to the Biden administrations failure to enforce federal immigration laws and rolling back of key Trump-era border policies, including rules that were created to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. But Democrats counter that thesurge in illegal immigration is largely owing to an economic crisis in Central and South America, even as Border Patrol agents have said that people from all over the world, and not just from Latin America,are arriving at the border.

In efforts to curb illegal immigration in Texas,Abbottin 2021 issued a number of orders, including one that allows state troopers to pull over vehicles with illegal immigrants suspected of having COVID-19.

Allen Zhong, Jack Phillips, and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Mimi Nguyen Ly covers world news with a focus on U.S. news. Contact her at mimi.nl@epochtimes.com

Originally posted here:
4 Men Indicted in Connection With Deaths of 53 Illegal Immigrants in Texas - The Epoch Times

A grand jury in Ohio has indicted the man accused of raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion that became a flashpoint in the national debate over access to the procedure.

The 27-year-old defendant, Gerson Fuentes, was charged with two felony counts of rape in an indictment filed Thursday in county court in Columbus.

An attorney representing Fuentes did not respond to a request for comment.

The defendantsarraignment is scheduled for Monday.

Fuentes confessed to raping the young girl at least twice, according to Columbus Police Department detective Jeffrey Huhn.

The girl also identified Fuentes as the man who impregnated her, police say.

The rape happened on or around May 10, according to court documents.

Police became involved after Franklin County Child Services alerted officers of the rape. Child services is mandated to report rapes when they become aware of them. The initial report came from the mother of the girl, Huhn testified in court earlier in July.

The girl was later taken to Indiana to get an abortion, according to Huhn.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed the abortion, filed a reporton the procedure with Indiana officials several days later. It remains unclear if Bernard reported suspected child abuse, which is mandatory under Indiana law. The state child services agency declined to release records, citing privacy provisions.

Fuentes is in the country illegally, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.

The official told The Epoch Times that there is no history of deportation, meaning Fuentes may have only crossed the border once.

The Columbus Police Department listed Fuentess nationality as Central America information accompanying his mugshot.

In prosecutors motion to hold Fuentes without bail, they said Fuentes is not a U.S. citizen.

Due to the potential sentence the defendant is facing, coupled with potential deportation, there is no release conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the victim, a [redacted] year old child, who remains a key witness in the case against the defendant, Franklin County assistant prosecuting attorney Daniel Meyer wrote in the motion, which was obtained by The Epoch Times.

The court opted to give Fuentes $2 million bond, but he has remained locked up because he has not posted the bond, according to jail and court records.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Zachary Stieber covers U.S. and world news. He is based in Maryland.

Originally posted here:
Illegal Immigrant Indicted in Rape of Young Girl Who Traveled for Abortion - The Epoch Times

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) failed to record the domestic addresses of nearly one third of illegal migrants released into the country, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General report obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.

Between March and June 2021, when the migrants crossed, CBP encountered over 720,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Beacon. Between March and September 2021, nearly 30% of those released did not comply with release terms, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Migrant Encounters At US-Mexico Border Hit Another Historic High)

Border agents have adopted ad hoc methods for record keeping, including dry erase boards to track unaccompanied minors, according to the Beacon.

These deficiencies can delay DHS from uniting children with families and sponsors and cause migrants to remain in DHS custody beyond legal time limits, the report stated. DHSs IT systems did not effectively allow CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to track migrants from apprehension to release or transfer.

Jennie Taer//The Daily Caller News Foundation

DHS should continue its efforts to improve IT capabilities to track migrants and share information. This is critical to ensure that DHS can process the high number of migrants apprehended illegally crossing the Southwest Border which exceeded 1.6 million in FY 2021, the report stated.

Neither DHS nor CBP responded to the Daily Caller News Foundations requests for comment.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

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DHS Lost Track Of Nearly One-Third Of The Illegal Immigrants It Released Into The US: REPORT - Daily Caller