Border monitoring / protection

Rampant insider hacking at U.S. immigration agency
A yearlong investigation by the DHS Inspector General has revealed multiple instances of insider hacking at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); the inspector general found that employees had accessed management-level email and other confidential files
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ICE breaks up international artifact smuggling ring
Immigration officials recently broke up an international gang of thieves who were using the Orlando International Airport to smuggle ancient artifacts into the country
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CBP, railroad settles smuggling dispute
Smugglers use trains which go from Mexico to the United States to smuggle drugs and other contraband. In the last few years, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) has imposed fines totaling millions of dollars on Union Pacific Railroads for carrying the smuggled goods — even though UP maintained it knew nothing about the illegal shipments; CBP and UP have now settled their dispute
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DHS cracks down on sham universities
DHS officials are cracking down on sham universities that make millions of dollars by preying on foreign students, especially those from India, with promises of student visas; in January, officials shut down Tri-Valley University in California on suspicion of visa fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering; officials believe that the university made millions of dollars by giving foreign nationals illegally obtained student visas
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Sector Report for Thursday, 11 August 2011: Border / Immigration control
This report contains the following stories.
* Immigration from Mexico down to "almost nothing"

* Border fence knocked down by rain water

* Record number of immigration bills introduced in 2011

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
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Immigration from Mexico down to "almost nothing"
A recent report found that the number of immigrants entering the United States from Mexico has fallen to “almost nothing”; Mexico only lost about 0.09 percent of its population due to migration between March 2010 and March 2011, 83 percent lower than in 2006
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Border fence knocked down by rain water
Last week water from a rainstorm knocked over a forty-foot section of the U.S-Mexico border fence in Southwestern Arizona; according to Lee Baiza, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument’s superintendent, the fence does not permit water to flow naturally along washes resulting in environmental and structural problems for the fence
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Record number of immigration bills introduced in 2011
This year state lawmakers have introduced a record number of immigration bills and resolutions according to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures; so far in the first half of the year, state legislators have seen 1,592 immigration bills, 16 percent more than the same time period last year
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DHS set to expand Secure Communities over local objections
To help put an end to state and local authorities’ objections over the controversial Secure Communities program, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on Friday that the agency would end its memorandum of agreements with state governors “to avoid further confusion”; the move is designed to ease DHS’s efforts to expand the immigration program across the nation, despite the increasing criticism that the program has received
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Foreign sham marriage ring broken up
Last week fourteen people were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud in an attempt to secure citizenship in the United States; the plan involved paying U.S. citizens to enter into false marriages with foreigners from Eastern Europe and Russia to legalize their immigration status; the U.S. recruits were offered as much as $5,000 to participate in the scheme
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Mexican drug cartel enforcer admits to killing 1,500
Mexican police in has arrested a drug cartel leader they say has admitted to ordering the murder of 1,500 people; Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, 33, known as “El Diego,” was the head of La Linea, a gang of hit men and corrupt police officers who acted as the armed wing of the Juarez drug cartel
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FAA issued 27 licenses to potential terrorists
A recent DHS inspector general report revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration FAA) had issued pilot and aircraft mechanic licenses to at least twenty-seven individuals with terrorist connections; the report also found that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) still cannot determine the identities of thousands of people who currently hold FAA licenses.
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Troubled $1.2 billion nuclear detection program cancelled
After news hit that DHS was planning on spending additional money to procure a troubled nuclear detection system that has been plagued with problems, the Obama administration decided to scrap the $1.2 billion program
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Mexico accidentally invades U.S.
On Tuesday, the Mexican Army accidentally “invaded” the United States when thirty-three of its soldiers mistakenly crossed the border into Texas in Humvees; the soldiers were driving in a convoy consisting of four Humvees when they realized they had started driving on a bridge over the Rio Grande where they could not turn their vehicles around until they entered the United States
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Sector Report for Thursday, 28 July 2011: Border / Immigration control
This report contains the following stories.
* U.S. businesses want fewer restrictions on skilled foreign workers

* Arizonans raise $100,000 for private border fence

* Congressman arrested for immigration protest

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
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