Court Denies Back Pay to Fired Illegal Immigrants
By Charles Lane, The Washington Post, March 28, 2002
The U.S. federal government may not compel employees to award back pay to undocumented immigrants who were fired for trying to join labor unions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled March 27.
In the Hoffman Plastic Compounds v. NLRB, No. 00-1595 case, Jose Castro, an undocumented worker from Mexico, went to work for Hoffman Plastic Compounds Inc. in 1988. He was fired in 1989 for joining an organizing drive. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) tried to force Hoffman Plastic Compounds Inc. to pay some $67,000 in lost wages.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, joined by four other justices, wrote that allowing an award of back pay to illegal aliens "would unduly trench upon explicit statutory prohibitions critical to federal immigration policy." He added that the wages could not be "lawfully earned" since the job was obtained by "a criminal fraud."
The four dissenting judges, however, said the ruling "would actually create more incentives for companies to hire illegal immigrant workers, because they can now violate their right to join a union, at least once, without fear of legal liability," Lane writes.
International Cooperation Needed to Stop People Smuggling
Xinhua News Agency, March 28, 2002
China is trying to stem the increase in human smuggling by large-scale public education programs and tighter entry and exit controls, according to this report.
China continues to strengthen cooperation with other countries to crack down on people smuggling through "regular and in-depth exchanges" with law enforcement organizations such as the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and migration organizations.
China has signed a number of treaties on extradition and judicial assistance in criminal cases with a number of countries. The control of illegal immigration has been listed as "top priority in most bilateral agreements on cooperation in police affairs," this report says.
Crime on the Waterfront Doesn't Need an Inquiry. What is Needed: Coordination, Resources and the Will to Act
Editorial, Vancouver Sun, March 25, 2002
A recently completed inquiry into crime in Canadian ports found that leaders of criminal operations work in critical jobs, including port security, according to this editorial. The Port of Vancouver, it says, has been infiltrated by traditional organized crime, bikers, and Asian and Russian gangs.
The inquiry was conducted by the Canadian Senate committee on national security and defense, and reflected increased security concerns in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
"Criminal activity on the waterfront isn't new, but it has become more complex as drug and human smuggling become increasingly lucrative. And the stakes for Canada, and its relationship with the U.S. and other trading partners, are much higher," the editorial says.
ROC Police to Take Part in International Confab on Organized Crimes
By Deborah Kuo, Central News Agency, Taipei, March 24, 2002
Cheng Ching-sung, director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Taiwan, led a delegation of law enforcement officers to a four-day conference on Asian organized crime held in Chicago. Over 1,000 top law enforcement officials from 11 countries attended the annual conference to discuss topics such as people and narcotics smuggling, fraud, and crimes involving high technology.
Cheng is quoted as saying that cracking down on so-called "borderless" organized crimes requires international efforts and cooperation among the law enforcement authorities of all the countries involved.
Snapshot of an Immigrant's Dream Fading
By Hanna Rosin, The Washington Post, March 24, 2002
In post September 11 America, the Immigration and Naturalization Service is cracking down on "lapses that might otherwise have stayed hidden or ignored," Rosin writes. "Immigrants in the United States can no longer skirt under the radar, float between visas, help a friend find a job...."
Rosin tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant who was working legally in the United States, but he raised suspicions among U.S. authorities who saw him being photographed in front of a U.S. water plant. Upon investigation, U.S. officials learned that the young man had helped a Pakistani couple living in the United States illegally by paying their rent and car insurance. He faces deportation because he violated U.S. law banning the harboring of illegal immigrants.
People Smuggle Trial for Four
Herald Sun, March 22, 2002
Four Indonesians accused of trying to smuggle 434 Middle Eastern asylum seekers into Australia will stand trial September 16 in the West Australian District Court in Perth. If found guilty, they could face a maximum 20-year jail term.
The incident attracted international attention last August when the migrants had to be saved from their sinking fishing vessel by the Norwegian freighter Tampa near Christmas Island. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, however, refused to allow the ship to enter Australian territorial waters.
Illegal Alien Numbers Fall after Terror Attacks
Jiji Press Service, Tokyo, March 22, 2002
The numbers of undocumented foreigners living in Japan has dropped to 224,067 -- or 3.5 percent -- since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, this report says. Fewer jobs in Japan and stricter immigration controls are the major factors behind the decline, according to Japan's Immigration Bureau.
South Koreans, Filipinos and Chinese are the top three ethnic groups represented among illegal immigrants now in Japan, the article says.
White House Announces Security Pact with Mexico
By Elisabeth Bumiller, The New York Times, March 22, 2002
The White House announced on March 21 a new border security agreement with Mexico designed to catch terrorists and smugglers without delaying legitimate goods and travelers.
Speaking in El Paso March 21, Bush said: "We want the legal commerce...(but) we want to use our technology to make sure that we weed out those who we don't want in our country -- the terrorists, the coyotes, the smugglers, those who prey on innocent life."
"The new accord," writes Bumiller, "similar to one between the United States and Canada announced in December, would expand the use of high technology on the 1,951-mile United States-Mexico border. Regular cross-border commuters would be issued an electronic pass, as would some short-haul truckers. That would free border guards to spend more time inspecting suspicious people and goods, White House officials said."
For more information, see U.S., Mexico Border Issues on the IIP web site covering President Bush's visit to Latin America, March 22-24, 2002.
Police Help Probe into Dover Illegal Immigrants; Crime Conference Hears Local Force Sharing Intelligence in Fight Against Human Smugglers
By Stella Lee, South China Morning Post, March 21, 2002
Hong Kong police have been helpful in Britain's investigations into the human smuggling case that ended in the deaths of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants, according to Andrew Tofts, a detective from New Scotland Yard in London.
(The Chinese immigrants had been packed in a truck along with a shipment of tomatoes. They suffocated during the 5-hour ferry crossing of the English Channel from Zeebrugge, Belgium on June 18, 2000. Officials discovered the gruesome cargo at the English port of Dover.)
Detective Tofts was among 500 delegates attending a four-day Transnational Organized Crime Conference sponsored by the Hong Kong police.
Lo Mung-hung, the acting chief superintendent of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau in Hong Kong, said that while it was not known whether Hong Kong gangsters were involved in the Dover case, individual local triad members had been linked to other human-smuggling cases, Lee writes.
Detective Tofts said that four main Chinese gangs operate in Britain -- the 14K, Sun Yee On, Wo On Lok, and Wo Shing Wo -- but that there is no evidence linking them to triad groups of the same names in Hong Kong.
The gangs, Tofts is quoted as saying, "want to give a perception that they are linked. But we can't prove it. They just want to show some strength of force."
Police Forces Worldwide to Work Closer Against Transnational Organized Crime
By Wang Lili, Xinhua News Agency, March 21, 2002
Delegates from 30 countries and regions attending the Transnational Organized Crime Conference in Hong Kong agreed upon the importance of increasing cooperation among law enforcement worldwide, according to this report. Hong Kong Police Commissioner Tsang Yam-pui is quoted as saying that without global law enforcement cooperation, transnational organized crime would run rampant.
Keith Povey, chief inspector of Constabulary of the United Kingdom, told conference participants that multilateral agreements were effective first steps toward collaboration and coordination among law enforcers worldwide.
Zhang Xin-feng, director of the Criminal Investigation Department of China's Ministry of Public Security, told conference attendees that some Chinese crime syndicates have capitalized on social transition by establishing contact with gangsters abroad. But collaboration between the Chinese security bureau and its overseas counterparts has been successful in eradicating several crime rings in recent years.
IRS Seminars, IDs Help Illegal Immigrants Pay U.S. Taxes
By Kris Axtman, The Christian Science Monitor, March 21, 2002
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been conducting seminars around the country to help undocumented immigrants to legally file U.S. income tax returns using an "individual taxpayer identification number." The IRS program was created in 1996 for people who don't have a social security number. So far, 5.3 million people have signed up, according to this article.
The article notes that "critics say that one federal agency (IRS) is accommodating lawbreakers that another agency (Immigration and Naturalization Service) is trying (to) ferret out." The IRS, however, says "its job is to collect taxes from those who work, not determine who is eligible to work," Axtman writes.
See the IRS's web site for more information on its Individual Taxpayer Identification Number program.
INS Director James Ziglar Says Change Is in the Works
By James Ziglar, USA Today, March 21, 2002
"Aliens who have been ordered to be deported but haven't left the country are being added to the nationwide police 'wants and warrants' watch list and are being pursued," says James Ziglar, director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in this Op-Ed which first appeared in the USA Today newspaper. See full text.
Bush Plans Would-Be Immigrants Aid
Associated Press, March 21, 2002
On the eve of his four-day trip to Mexico, Peru and El Salvador, President Bush promised initiatives to ease the plight of would-be illegal immigrants by creating jobs in the poorest areas of Mexico, according to this report.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is quoted as saying that the goal of the president's initiatives is to create "economic circumstances in Mexico that allow them to (stay) home."
Brakes on People Smugglers
The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), March 21, 2002
and
Asia: Tough Stance on Boat People Halts Arrivals
By Ron Corben, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd., March 20, 2002
Australia's tough policy on asylum seekers has dramatically halted attempts by crime syndicates to smuggle people into Australia by boat, says Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mike Keelty. But he predicted that with tougher airport security, smugglers would likely turn their efforts to using commercial shipping into Australia.
Corben quotes Keelty as saying that the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the resulting heightened security measures have caused criminal syndicates to take time to stand back and reexamine their methods.
Open-Door Policies Are Slamming Shut
By Ellen Hale, USA Today, March 20, 2002
European countries are reversing their liberal immigration policies, according to this report.
"Although the changes accompany a revival of conservatism throughout Europe," Hale writes, "experts say the terrorist attacks on the USA and revelations of terrorist cells in Europe have stoked anti-immigrant emotion and fueled efforts to tighten immigration laws."
Denmark, for example, one a model of tolerance, has taken steps to introduce legislation on immigration that, if passed by its Parliament in May, would be the most restrictive in Europe.
In 2000, the United States took in some 850,000, or about twice as many as did the 15 nations of the European Union, according to this article.
INS Denies Understating Numbers: Magazine Claims Figures on Alien 'Absconders' Higher
By August Gribbin, The Washington Times, March 20, 2002
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials deny accusations that the agency has underestimated the number of "absconders" living in the United States.
"Absconder" is the term used to describe an illegal alien who has been ordered by U.S. officials to leave the United States, posted bond to assure compliance, but instead disappeared into the general U.S. population.
INS estimates there are 314,000 absconders now living in the United States. But Human Events, a national conservative weekly magazine, claims that there are closer to one million based on figures it has derived from congressional and Justice Department sources.
Italy Admits Shipload of Iraqi Kurds: Group of 900 Illegal Immigrants Sets Off Fierce Debate in Government
By Sheila H. Pierce, The Washington Post, March 20, 2002
and
1,000 Illegal Migrants, Many Ill, Arrive by Ship at Sicilian Port
Reuters, March 18, 2002
The largest single group of illegal immigrants to land in Italy in five years has sparked debate within Italy on how to steady flow of newcomers.
Italian authorities are sheltering the newest influx of people, but the country's ruling coalition is trying to a pass tighter immigration law, writes Pierce. Legislation now before the lower house of Italy's Parliament would send some illegal immigrants to jail for up to one year. "To remain in Italy, immigrants would have to prove that they had a job waiting; the Italian navy would step up patrols off the coast." according to Pierce.
Italy's long coastline makes it attractive to illegal migrants; last year, some 20,000 entered the country. Most come from Albania, Turkey, North Africa and Asia.
Back in the United States, Meeting the Parents: Immigrants' Children Are American Born, Chinese Raised, and Confused
By Yilu Zhao, The New York Times, March 19, 2002
American-born children of Fujianese working illegally in the United States are posing a number of challenges to their parents as well as to U.S. school authorities, according to this article.
This report explains that when illegal Fujianese immigrants produce children in the United States, they often send them back to China to be raised by their grandparents. The parents, burdened by huge debts to their smugglers and working seven-day-weeks in low-paying jobs, find they have neither the money nor the time to look after their children.
But the grandparents typically do not send their American-born grandchildren to Fujian schools, Zhao writes. The grandparents' rationale is that success in life is a birthright of their American-born grandchildren, and, since they will be eventually returning to a U.S. school system, there is no need to bother sending them to Chinese schools.
When these children are finally brought back to the United States by their parents, they encounter major difficulties. They speak no English, have little educational grounding, and even if they enter bilingual U.S. schools, the classes are taught in Mandarin or Cantonese, which are incomprehensible to many Fujianese speakers.
Another problem is that these children, often spoiled by the lax discipline of their grandparents, refuse to accept the authority of their parents.
Bush Leans Toward New Agency to Control Who and What Enters
By David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, March 20, 2002
and
Bush Poised to Back New Border Agency: Plan Would Merge 3 Bureaucracies
By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post, March 19, 2002
The Bush administration appears to favor a proposal to merge the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol in an effort to streamline government and better protect U.S. borders, according to these reports.
The consolidation recommendation comes from Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. The U.S. Congress, however, must approve it. The New York Times quotes Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, as saying: "I'm not sure this is the answer."
The new border control agency that would result would be under the control of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Migration and Brain Drain, Part I
By Sam Vaknin, Associated Press, March 18, 2002
Developed countries, faced with aging populations and increasing labor demands, are trying to attract immigrants, but only those who are skilled and well educated, Vaknin writes. The United States, for example, offers H1-B visas that allow 195,000 foreigners with academic degrees to enter the United States for up to 6 years and apply for immigrant status once in residence.
"Traditional immigration" -- that of the poor seeking better lives in more developed countries -- "is becoming gradually less attractive," according to this report.
Even so, there are some 80 million migrant workers found in virtually every country, Vaknin writes. "At least 50 percent of the 150 million immigrants the world over are illegal aliens.... Human trafficking and people smuggling are multi-billion dollars industries."
According to Vaknin, Europe is the target of twice as many illegal migrants as the United States. The Center for Migration Policy Development in Vienna estimates that about 500,000 "economic migrants" enter Europe illegally each year.
Tighter Immigrant ID Rules Shut Doors
By David Cho and Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post, March 18, 2002
Children of undocumented immigrants are having a harder time getting into U.S. schools because of tighter restrictions that make it harder for their parents to get proper identification, this report says.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that undocumented aliens have the right to public education. But without proper official documentation, they cannot enroll. Most schools require proof of residency in addition to a photo of the parent and the child's birth certificate.
After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States,, more than a dozen states made it harder to apply for a driver's license -- an identification that is widely accepted.
Long Resistant, Police Start Embracing Immigration Duties
By Susan Sachs, The New York Times, March 15, 2002
Florida will soon be the first jurisdiction in the United States to implement a federal plan to deputize local police officers as agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
State and local law enforcement do not ordinarily have the power to arrest a foreigner for immigration violations, except for ignoring a deportation order, Sachs writes. But under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, INS's parent agency, 35 Florida state troopers, sheriff's deputies and city police officers will be able to make arrests solely for overstaying a visa or entering the United States illegally.
INS is actively promoting such partnerships with other states, but so far only South Carolina has shown some interest, according to Sachs.
Many local law enforcement agencies feel that "crime-fighting is better served by building relationships of trust in immigrant communities," Sachs writes. But since the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, there is more interest among local law enforcement in monitoring illegal immigrants.
The INS, Sachs writes, has said that "queries from the police to its Law Enforcement Support Center, which runs a registry of foreigners and their legal status, had increased sharply since September, to 30,000 a month from 20,000."
'Little Brother' Joins Battle: Island Nation Palau Supports U.S. War Against Terrorism
By John Sheridan, The Washington Times, March 15, 2002
Palau is joining the international fight against terrorism by increasing its monitoring of immigration and banning money laundering.
This independent nation, located some 500 miles southeast of the Philippines, has a population of just 20,000, but 100,000 visitors flock to its islands each year to enjoy snorkeling, scuba-diving and fishing.
Palau's President Tommy Remengesau Jr., who was in Washington the week of March 15, is quoted as saying he is concerned about illegal immigrants entering his nation because of security concerns and the impact it might have on the country's growing tourist industry.
Palau turned down an offer last year from Australia, which offered it millions of dollars to take refugees. "Australia has used island nations," Sheridan writes, "to temporarily house refugees, including Afghans Iraqis, who reach its territory."
Before becoming independent in 1994, Palau was, since the end of World War Two, a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration. The United States, however, remains responsible for its security. Remengesau is quoted as calling the arrangement a "big brother/little brother" relationship.
Grassley Seeks INS Enforcement Agents and Caseworkers for the Quad Cities
By Senator Chuck Grassley, Congressional Press Releases, March 14, 2002
Senator Charles ("Chuck") Grassley, the Republican senator of Iowa, has asked the Justice Department to consider placing personnel for both law enforcement and immigration casework in the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area incorporating the Iowa communities of Davenport and Bettendorf and the Illinois communities of Moline and Rock Island. The area is home to more than 360,000 people.
In a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Grassley said: "The increasing number of illegal aliens concerns all residents of Iowa as well as those in the Quad Cities. There has been a tendency for these aliens to assimilate into small communities where work is available and there is less chance of being caught. Because there are no INS law enforcement agents in the Quad Cities and local law enforcement are not permitted to detain illegal immigrants, a community like the Quad Cities can be a haven for illegal immigrants trying to avoid detection."
Grassley said that in the last ten years Iowa has experienced "a new wave of immigrants pursuing the American dream." He acknowledged that "Iowa's economic future depends on the state's ability to attract newcomers who want to become citizens.
"On the other hand, Iowans are hesitant to welcome those who have come through the back door and have disregarded our country's immigration laws," Grassley said.
Stories of Modern Science...from UPI
"Hong Kong Residents May Soon Have 'Smart' IDs"
By Jim Kling, United Press International, March 13, 2002
New identification cards for Hong Kong residents are aimed at limiting Chinese immigration, according to this news clip, which was picked up from a CNN report.
The new IDs would have embedded computer chips carrying the owner's name, photo, birth date digital templates of both thumb prints>
Eric Wong, Hong Kong's deputy director of immigration, is quoted as saying: "We've long had illegal immigration problems and everyone got used to carrying the (old) identity card. People just think it's a way of life." The cards are expected to be approved and launched next year.
"Smart IDs" are used or planned for use in Finland, Malaysia and Japan, according to this report.
House Allows Illegal Immigrants Leeway: Bill Requiring Sponsor for Residency Passes Despite Concerns About Terrorists"
By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, March 13, 2002
and
House Passes Immigrant Bill to Aid Mexico
By Robert Pear, The New York Times, March 13, 2002
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on March 12 that would allow illegal immigrants in the United States to seek visas granting them permanent residency. Applicants, however, would have to show that they have been in a family relationship in the United States or have had U.S. labor certification filed before August 15, 2001.
The Senate has passed similar legislation, but "some senators may try to block it when supporters seek to reconcile the two versions," Eilperin writes.
Supporters, these articles say, view the proposed legislation as pro-immigrant and a way to satisfy U.S. labor needs. Opponents say it would encourage lawbreaking and threaten national security.
If approved by Congress, this legislation would temporarily extend Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. For more information about the House version, see H.R. 1885 on the web site the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, "Legislative Activities".
Crime Groups Using Canada to Smuggle People, U.S. Report Says
Canadian Press Newswire, March 11, 2002
The U.S. human rights report for 2001 says East Asian crime groups have targeted Canada because of its lax immigration laws, benefits available to immigrants and proximity to the U.S. border. The report notes that at least 15,000 Chinese have entered Canada illegally in the last decade. Full text, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, Canada
"Strike Hard" Yields Huge Rise in China's Criminal Court Cases
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, March 11, 2002
China's criminal court cases have jumped 31 percent since it began its "Strike Hard" anti-crime campaign last April.
Speaking to the delegates of the National People's Congress (China's parliament) on March 11, Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's Court, said the courts heard 350 cases of mafia-style organized crime -- six times the number of 2000.
The estimated conviction rate is 99.2 percent, largely because most cases are decided before hearings, according to this report.
Human rights group Amnesty International recorded 1,781 executions and 2,690 death sentences in the first three months of the program.
Taiwan Police Chief Visited Japan to Discuss Crime
Japan Economic Newswire, March 11, 2002
The head of Taiwan's National Police Administration Wang Ginn-wang spent the week of March 3 in Japan to discuss with police authorities there joint anti-crime measures dealing with human and drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and terrorism.
Wang, who met with Japan's National Police Agency Director General Setsuo Tanaka, also discussed cooperative efforts in police training and information exchanges on organized crime.
According to this report, Wang became the first national police chief to make an official visit to Japan since Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1972.
China OKs Opening of FBI Office in Beijing
Japan Economic Newswire, March 11, 2002
China approved the opening of a Beijing office by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI, which has offices in more than 40 countries, will maintain close contact with the Chinese government on issues such as terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crimes.
Immigrant's Son Still Struggles for Acceptance in Adopted Land; Immigrant Strives to Stay in America
By Dawn House, The Salt Lake Tribune, March 11, 2002
This story features "Danny," the son of an illegal Mexican immigrant who abandoned him when he was six years old, and Utah's efforts to help children like him.
According to this article, in 1999 alone, 4,600 foreign-born children were brought to the United States illegally and abandoned.
Utah passed a bill that allows children of undocumented immigrants to pay the lower in-state tuitions rates at state colleges and universities if they graduated from a Utah high school. Federal law, however, prohibits public colleges from charging resident tuition for any child whose parents have come to the United States illegally.
However, Orrin Hatch, the Republican senator of Utah, is sponsoring federal legislation that would allow long-term immigrant children to "earn" permanent-resident status if they break no laws and graduate from a qualified institute of higher education.
A New Dragnet for Illegal Workers: Arrest of 100 Airport Employees Symbolizes a Hardening U.S. Stance
By Ron Scherer, The Christian Science Monitor, March 6, 2002
Some 100 undocumented airport workers have been arrested as a result of a tougher U.S. stance on illegal workers.
Natalie Collins, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Las Vegas, is quoted as saying: "Undocumented workers represent a significant threat to the flying public. Because they are illegal, they are susceptible to compromise."
"The expanding dragnet symbolizes a hardening stance by federal authorities toward illegal immigrants of all nationalities who they think might pose a security threat," Scherer writes. U.S. authorities "believe that undocumented workers are susceptible to being approached by nefarious groups."
Desperate Cargo: Ministers Want to Fight Human Trafficking and Smuggling Asia
The Economist, March 2-8, 2002
Illegal migration, facilitated by smugglers, is creating political tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, according to this article, which discusses the Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime held in Bali, Indonesia, February 27-28, 2002.
Malaysia is deporting increasing numbers of Indonesian illegal workers, although one million are thought to remain in the country. "Since last summer, Australia has been intercepting boats carrying Afghan and Iraqi asylum-seekers, mostly smuggled from Indonesia, and shipping them to Pacific islands to be processed. In September, Australia tightened its border regulations, arguing for the need to crack down on human smuggling and prevent refugees from jumping the queue to get into Australia."
Critics, however, argue that Australia's policy undermines refugees' rights. "According to Human Rights Watch, smuggling is often the only option for asylum seekers facing violence at home and appalling conditions in transit countries," this article says. Human Rights Watch also says, according to this article, "that it is irresponsible to insist that asylum-seekers should stay in Indonesia or Malaysia, which are not signatories to the 1951 Geneva convention and lack proper screening capabilities."
Migrants from Afar See Mexico as Steppingstone to U.S.
By Ginger Thompson, The New York Times, March 1, 2002
Mexico's tougher measures to prevent human smuggling across land routes appear to be forcing smugglers to turn to the sea instead, according to this report.
President Vincente Fox has "tried to improve security along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala by increasing the number of migration agents posted at border checkpoints, and by cracking down on corrupt immigration officials and immigrant smugglers," Thompson writes. In addition, many Central American governments have cracked down on international people smuggling.
But just last month, the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy seized two fishing boats packed with hundreds of Ecuadoreans off the southern tip of Mexico. Many of the illegal immigrants were found suffering dehydration and gangrene.
Rear Admiral Carlos Martinez de Anda is quoted as saying: "The numbers of people on these recent boats indicates a change. It looks like the smugglers are moving out to sea."
"It may be too early to call this a trend, but the signs are troubling," Mexico's Deputy Interior Minister Javier Moctezuma is quoted as saying. "It is something that concerns us."
Mexico is a major transit route for illegal immigrants trying to get to the United States. Last year, in the southern state of Chiapas alone, some 80,000 undocumented immigrants were detained by Mexican officials.
Mexico's geography, Thompson writes, makes it "an important international hub for criminal networks that smuggle immigrants from around the world, an industry that rivals the drug trade in profits and ruthlessness."
On the Fence: Former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner on the Contradictions of Migration Policy in a Globalizing World
Interview with Foreign Policy editor Moises Naim in Washington January 10
Foreign Policy, March 1, 2002
The growth in human smuggling -- now estimated to be a $7-billion-per-year industry -- will worsen, according to Meissner because countries are becoming "more law enforcement-minded.
"Therefore, people who are trying to move will increasingly turn to the professionals who have made the illegal movement of people a thriving business," Meissner said.
International migration structures are "very primitive," according to Meissner. She recommended "more active law enforcement cooperation, which will help reduce some of the incredible abuse and exploitation and money that is involved in trafficking people around the world." She also called for comprehensive regional integration initiatives and deeper understanding of the links between migration and development.
February 2002
Asia Vows Tougher Laws Against People Smuggling
By Joanne Collins, Reuters, February 28, 2002
An international conference on people smuggling has produced a non-binding agreement to improve cross-border cooperation and toughen laws to criminalize human trafficking.(Full text of co-chairs' statement.)
Dozens of ministers and several hundred high-level delegates from Asia-Pacific and Middle East countries were among the participants of the conference held in Bali, Indonesia.
Australia and Indonesia, the conference co-hosts, released the pact in which delegates agreed to improve intelligence sharing, build stronger ties between law enforcers, and improve cooperation on border and visa issues. An ad-hoc experts group will be established to monitor the progress of the agreement and study follow-up issues before another regional conference is held next year.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda is quoted as saying the results are "ground breaking." He said at a news conference that "although the statement is non-binding in nature, it fairly reflects the views and feelings expressed by participating countries and serves as good basis for future discussions and concerted efforts."
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is quoted as saying: "Legally what they (countries in the region) do is a matter for their own legal processes, their own parliament and the like, but clearly there was no dissent at this conference and no hint of dissent (on tightening people smuggling laws)."
Kamel Morjane, UNHCR assistant commissioner, told Reuters: "We do not have any problem with it (the agreement) and we welcome the consensus that rights of the genuine asylum seeker and refugee to seek protection will always be considered."
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For more information on the Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime held in Bali, Indonesia, February 27-28, 2002, see:
Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Full text of co-chairs' statement
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Vietnam's "Dust Children" in Limbo: U.S. Law Grants Visas to Those With American Features, But Some Are Still Denied
By Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2002
Vietnamese and Amerasians (children of American soldiers and Vietnamese mothers) are being exploited by traffickers, according to this article.
The Amerasian Homecoming Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1987, allows any Vietnamese resident who has "American facial features" and who was born between 1962 and 1976 to get an U.S. immigrant visa. This law has enabled 24,000 Amerasians and 67,000 of their family members to immigrate to the United States.
Amerasians, most of whom are indigent and uneducated, are disparaged in Vietnam as being "children of dust." But they are vulnerable to traffickers who see them as "gold children," and who promise that they can facilitate the visa application process.
The traffickers use the Amerasians as a means to extract money from other Vietnamese who hope to immigrate to the United States by claiming to be relatives of an eligible Amerasian. These fraudulent applications are generally rejected. But the Amerasians find that once they've been rejected for claiming false relatives, their applications continue to be rejected even if they reapply on their own.
Ministers from Asian and Pacific Nations Confer on Ways to End People Smuggling
By Slobodan Lekic, The Associated Press, February 27, 2002
A draft statement issued by participants at an international conference on illegal immigration warned that people smuggling is increasingly linked to other criminal activities.
"Many smuggling activities are being organized by criminal networks also involved in trafficking of narcotics, document fraud, money laundering, arms smuggling and other transnational crimes," a draft statement said. The statement was drawn up by Australia and Indonesia, who are co-hosting the conference being held in Bali, Indonesia. It is expected to be endorsed by all 37 participating nations. Thirty-five Cabinet ministers are among the delegates attending.
A follow-up international conference is planned for next year in Australia.
Bali Hosts Talks Aimed at Stemming People Smuggling
By Tom Mccawley, Financial Times, February 27, 2002
Ministers from 38 countries met in Bali on February 27 to begin three days of talks on international crime, especially human smuggling in the region.
Indonesia is a major hub for illegal immigration thanks to its geography and poorly enforced immigration laws, according to this article.
The conference is being jointly hosted by Indonesia and Australia and is a step towards mending relations between the two countries, which were strained in September 2001 when Australia refused to take some 430 asylum seekers who were rescued from a sinking vessel by a Norwegian ship, demanding instead that they be returned to Indonesia.
The U.S. representative at the conference was Ambassador Nancy Ely-Raphel, the senior advisor to the Secretary of State on trafficking in persons and director of the State Department's office to combat trafficking in persons. Full text of remarks by Ambassador Ely-Raphel.
Officials from 37 Nations Converge on Bali to Tackle People Smuggling
Agence France Presse, February 27, 2002
Ministers or top officials representing 37 Asian-Pacific countries met on Indonesia's Bali island February 27 for "the first-ever" international talks -- hosted by Indonesia and Australia -- on curbing people-smuggling and transnational crimes.
"Officials stress the talks are not a pledging forum, but the first chance to forge multilateral cooperation in combatting the trafficking of human cargo," according to this report.
Indonesia Makes Veiled Attack on Australia at People-Smuggling Meet
By Bronwyn Curran, Agence France Presse, February 27, 2002
In her opening speech at a Bali conference to fight people-smuggling, Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri criticized unilateral efforts to fight the problem, according to this report.
She is quoted as saying: "No matter how broad the scope and boundary we are delineating for our national interest, and how confident we are in our justification to defend such interests, still it does not allow us to do whatever we want....Rather it only provokes negative judgment from others."
Although she didn't name countries, her remarks were widely interpreted to be aimed at Australia, according to this report.
Australia has complained that Indonesia has done too little to curb the transit of Australia-bound migrants, most of whom are natives of the Middle East, Curran writes. Many migrants who want to enter Australia first fly to Malaysia, then travel via small boats to Indonesia. "They then embark on the long and potentially deadly voyage to Australian territory. In October, about 350 people, mainly Iraqis, drowned off Indonesia," Curran says.
"Last August, Australia used troops to turn away the Tampa, a Norwegian freighter carrying 433 migrants who had been rescued from a sinking Indonesian boat," this report says. "Australia stuck to its new policy of diverting migrants to Pacific island nations for processing despite widespread international criticism."
Australia, Indonesia Hosting People-Smuggling Conference
By Catharine Munro, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd., February 25, 2002
The people-smuggling conference to be held in Bali "is Indonesia's solution to a stand-off with Australia over what to do with asylum seekers who pass through the archipelago on their way to Australia," says Munro.
Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri reportedly "took offence" when Australia's Prime Minister John Howard sent back 430 asylum seekers.
Australia is one of the few countries that classifies human smuggling as a crime and hopes to raise awareness at the conference, according to this report. Indonesia has arrested only "a handful" of low-level people smugglers, Munro writes. Malaysia, a transit country for illegal immigrants, provides visa-free access to people from Islamic states such as Pakistan and Iran.
New Zealand Legislation Cracks Down on People Smuggling
Xinhua, February 25, 2002
Phil Goff, New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister of Justice, has introduced legislation making human smuggling and trafficking a crime subject to up to 20 years in prison and fines up to 500,000 New Zealand dollars (about 215,000 U.S. dollars).
New Zealand's Transnational Organized Crime Bill will allow the country to meet its obligations under, and ratify, the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols on the Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking of Persons, this report says.
U.S. Customs Announces Container Security Initiative
U.S. Customs Fact Sheet, February 22, 2002 See full text.
The U.S. Customs Service released a fact sheet on February 22 describing an initiative that would tighten security on oceangoing sea containers.
The goal of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) is to pre-screen cargo containers at ports of origin and transit rather than waiting for them to arrive at U.S. ports for inspection.
The CSI also calls for using technology to pre-screen high-risk containers and develop "smart and secure containers."
Russian, Chinese Security Officers Stem Illegal Immigration Channel to Italy
BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union, February 20, 2002, Source: RIA News Agency, Moscow
Cooperative efforts between Russian and Chinese special services have uncovered an underground channel for illegal immigration from China to Italy via Russia, according to Gaydar Farkhutdinov, head of the Russian Federal Security Service's division for Maritime Territory. He made the announcement at a news conference in Vladivostok on February 20.
Chinese criminal gangs would take Chinese illegal migrants to Russia's Maritime Territory and supply them with forged Russian passports. They would then travel to Moscow where other members of the same criminal group would help them apply for Italian visas.
Sustained Russian-Chinese cooperation has produced good results in stemming the flow of illegal immigration from China to Russia. Farkhutdinov is quoted as saying: "If 10-12 years ago the number of illegal Chinese immigrants to Russia was 4,000-5,000, in 2001 the figure was 60 people."
Immigration Scam Stings Event Organizers
By Barry Clarke, The Sunday Star-Times (Auckland), February 17, 2002
Event organizers in New Zealand are being warned about who they send invitations to -- they may be inviting illegal aliens.
Immigration officials are investigating scams that originated in Indonesia, where invitation letters are used to support visa applications to enter New Zealand. The fear is, that once in New Zealand, the "guests" will claim refugee status or disappear.
The article describes suspicious requests for invitations for events such as the Tour of Wellington cycle race, a conference organized by Victoria University, and Seaweek 2002, New Zealand's largest national marine conservation event.
Hong Kong: Xinhua Gives Details of Successful Efforts to Tackle Crime
BBC Monitoring International Reports, text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency), February 15, 2002
Hong Kong police say the crime rate there has dropped remarkably thanks to increasing cooperation with mainland and overseas police forces, according to this report. Overall crime has decreased by 5.5 percent in 2001; violent crime fell by 8.5 percent; computer-related crimes dropped 36 percent compared to the previous year.
Hong Kong police will be hosting an international conference on transnational organized crime in March 2002. Prominent members of law enforcement agencies from across the world are expected to attend.
Attorney Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Aliens
By Mark Hamblett, The Legal Intelligencer, February 14, 2002
and
Snakehead Lawyer, Wife Plead Guilty: Helped Chinese Smugglers
By Robert Gearty, Daily News (New York), February 12, 2002
and
Smuggling Scheme; Immigration Lawyer, Wife Plead Guilty
By Patricia Hurtado, Newsday, (New York, NY), February 12, 2002
These articles detail the activities of Manhattan immigration lawyer Robert Porges, 63, and his wife Sheery Lu Porges, 49, who have pleaded guilty to federal racketeering and conspiracy charges.
The pair advised Chinese smugglers -- or "snakeheads" -- on the best routes to bring into the United States more than 1,000 illegal immigrants. They would bail out any immigrants detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and file phony asylum claims. They reported the illegal immigrants' whereabouts to the smugglers, who took the aliens hostage until their smuggling fees and the Porges' legal fees were paid. According to prosecutors, Porges, who had been running his immigration business since 1993, collected $13.5 million in fees from the snakeheads for his assistance.
With their plea agreements, both Porges and his wife face between 78 and 97 months in prison when they are sentenced on May 17. They could have faced up to 45 years in prison had they been convicted after a trial, Newsday reported. The couple have also forfeited $6 million in assets and more than $2 million in cash seized by authorities from safe deposit boxes and bank accounts.
Mark Kuang, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for helping smuggle more than 100 aliens to the United States, cooperated with U.S. authorities by providing information on his role as liaison between the snakeheads and the Porges law firm.
Porges, who was known in New York's Chinatown as "Lawyer Bao," ran the city's biggest political asylum practice. It was Porges who represented most of the stowaways aboard the Golden Venture, a rusty freighter that grounded off Queens in 1993. Ten of the more than 300 illegal aliens the ship was carrying drowned trying to swim to shore in the icy waters.
Response to Terror: New Year's Isn't the Same in New York's Chinatown
By Josh Getlin, The Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2002
The 100,000 residents of New York's Chinatown continue to suffer the after effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to this report.
A study by the New York-based Fiscal Policy Institute found that more than 100,000 jobs were lost in New York after the attacks, most of them in low-income positions in the apparel, hotel and restaurant businesses.
But Chinatown has been especially hard-hit, Getlin reports, because of the unique interdependent nature of its local resident-based economy plus the loss of tourists and customers from the near-by but now destroyed World Trade Center.
The area's 250 garment factories suffered the biggest economic blow, Getlin writes. "Many had to shut down for weeks after September 11, because trucks could not drive through the debris-ridden streets to make deliveries."
Using figures provided by May Chen, who heads the local chapter of the garment workers union, Getlin reports that of the more than 12,000 employees working in area garment factories, 7,000 lost jobs when their shops either closed or laid off a large segment of the work force.
David Chen, executive director of the Chinese-American Planning Council, is troubled about the long-term future of Chinatown, Getlin reports. According to Chen, if the economy worsens, fewer residents will spend money in shops and restaurants and shopkeepers will find it hard to pay rents. The shopkeepers could be forced out if property owners find it more lucrative to turn their downtown real estate into upscale offices, condominiums and co-ops.
How to Fake a Passport
By Jeff Goodell, The New York Times Magazine, February 10, 2002
This lengthy feature discusses the international criminal business of passport forgery and theft, with a special focus on Belgium. Belgium, Goodell writes, has become "the global capital of identity fraud."
"According to Belgian police," Goodell says, "19,050 blank Belgian passports have been stolen since 1990.... Sold on the black market for as much as $7,500, they have subsequently been used by human traffickers, sex traffickers, gun runners and drug dealers, not to mention terrorists."
Passport fraud networks are marked by cooperation among many national groups: Chinese, Russians, Arabs, Jews, Albanians, Africans. "There is no prejudice in this business," Belgium federal police investigator Daniel Traweels is quoted as saying.
Belgium's "longstanding reputation as a sleepy gateway between France and Northern Europe is precisely what has made it attractive to criminals," Goodell writes. The elimination of most border controls under the European Union, coupled with Belgium's long-standing laxity in protecting its passport blanks, has escalated passport theft into a crisis. International attention was focussed on Belgium's passport fraud problems when it was discovered that two al Queda members who had assassinated Afghanistan's Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud had traveled from Brussels to London to Karachi on stolen Belgian passports.
Belgium is tightening its passport controls; and it has also introduced a new high-tech passport more resistant to forgery, but it will be years before it becomes widely circulated.
Ashcroft Moves to Cut Immigration Appeal Backlog
By Cheryl W. Thompson, The Washington Post, February 7, 2002
Attorney General John D. Ashcroft announced February 6 that he will issue new regulations to speed the review of cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals. The backlog now stands at more than 56,000 cases.
Thompson reported that "Ashcroft said slow processing of appeals encourages immigration attorneys to file frivolous claims, causing further delays and increasing the chances that the immigrants in question will ignore deportation orders."
See the Department of Justice press release and the transcript of Ashcroft's press conference.
Human Trafficking Slows in Asia
By Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, February 7, 2002
Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived in Jakarta February 6 with the goal of smoothing tensions between Australia and Indonesia regarding human smuggling.
Australia had chided Indonesia for failing to outlaw human smuggling; Indonesia accuses Australia of meddling in domestic affairs, according to this report. Nonetheless, the two nations are co-hosting an international conference on people-smuggling in Bali on February 27.
"Australian authorities have identified eight smuggling syndicates in Indonesia, all headed by foreign nationals," Montlake writes. "An extradition treaty between the two countries omits people-smuggling, leaving Australia reliant on Indonesia's police -- who are suspected of having a hand in the trade -- to apprehend traffickers."
In October, a ship carrying illegal immigrants sank near the Java coastline -- 373 lives were lost; almost half of them children. The incident called attention to Indonesia's role as a staging ground for human smuggling.
Since October, Australia has gotten tougher on illegal immigrants. "In 2001," Montlake writes, "it received 4,175 so-called boat people, but since October, none have made it past the (naval) blockade."
In Australia, human smuggling carries a five-year jail sentence for first-time offenders.
Despite the Australian government's tough stance on illegal immigrants, it takes in 12,000 refugees each year, mostly though the UNHCR, according to Geoff Raby, a senior official in Australia's foreign affairs department.
Mainlanders Find New Way to Enter Taiwan
BBC Monitoring International Reports, February 6, 2002, from text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency web site
An organized crime ring is suspected of helping Chinese mainlanders get into Taiwan by using forged birth certificates and identification cards issued by the government of Matsu.
Matsu is an island controlled by Taiwan. It is located in the Taiwan Strait, north west of the Taiwanese district of Taoyuan and north east of the cities of Fuzhou and Changle in the Peoples Republic of China province of Fujian.
Taoyuan district prosecutors believe an organized crime ring helped more than 100 mainland Chinese -- including many former People's Liberation Army soldiers and public security officers -- reach Taiwan in the past year. Taoyuan citizens Liu Tseng-tung and Liu Chien-wen are believed to be part of the smuggling ring, which charged each would-be illegal immigrant 120,000 to 160,000 NT dollars (approximately U.S.$3,400 to $4,580).
Matsu became an attractive smuggling route in May 2000 when Taiwan initiated a policy which allowed all Matsu residents to emigrate to Taiwan if they can produce their birth certificates, identification cards, and a guarantee document listing three Matsu "neighbors" who can prove the applicants are native to Matsu. The guarantors were paid 5,000 to 10,000 NT (US.$143 to $286) for their signatures.
Police Trap Snakehead Boss
by Lynne O'Donnell, The Australian, February 5, 2002
Chinese police arrested Wang Bingyi January 11. He is said to have masterminded four operations last year involving 396 Chinese who were smuggled to the United States, Australia and Japan.
Chinese authorities are anxious to appear serious about cracking down on human smugglers, according to this report. Despite Chinese efforts, U.S. immigration authorities at the Port of Long Island, New York apprehended 16 stowaways February 2 on a ship operated by COSCO, the Chinese government's international freight firm. They reportedly had been inside a container since January 19, when the ship left China for the United States via Hong Kong and Japan.
Chinese Police Arrest Human Smuggler
Reuters, February 4, 2002
and
Chinese Police Arrest Human Smuggler
BBC Monitoring International Reports, February 2, 2002, from text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
Police in Fujian province said February 2 that they have arrested a "most wanted" human smuggler -- a gang leader known as Wang who has a registered residence at Caobing village in Fuqing city.
Wang's smuggling ring is believed to have run four operations last year involving 396 stowaways. In January, he attempted to smuggle 60 people to Japan via Dalian city. Thanks to a tip, Fuqing police, with the aid of police in Fuzhou, Dalian and Shanghai, were able to arrest Wang along with nine stowaways.
In 1999 alone, 9,000 would-be illegal immigrants were captured in some 1,900 cases, according to statistics from the Public Security Ministry quoted by China Daily newspaper.
14 Years for Sex Slavers
The News of the World, February 3, 2002
Britain has instituted some of the toughest prison sentences in Europe on gangsters who smuggle in women to work in brothels -- 14 years. Some 14,000 women are thought to have been smuggled into Britain to work as prostitutes. Most of the women come from the Balkans, Albania, Thailand and China. Smuggling women for prostitution is more lucrative than drug running and is monopolized by Chinese Triad and Eastern European mafia gangs, according to this report.
Turkey Stops Some 400 Would-Be Immigrants
Agence France Presse, quoting the Anatolia News Agency, February 3, 2002
Security forces in southwest Turkey detained about 400 would-be illegal immigrants based on a tip to the paramilitary police in the province of Mugla. Asian and African illegal migrants hoping to reach Europe are apprehended daily in Turkey, a major transit county.
Shinjuku's Boom-Bust Underground Economy
By Mark Schreiber, The Japan Times, February 3, 2002
Japanese criminal syndicates and Chinese snakehead gangsters maintain a "cautious cooperation" that puts an estimated one billion yen (approximately 7,510,000 U.S. dollars) into circulation each day in Japan's underground economy, according to this report, which is based on the investigation of Sunday Mainichi reporter Muneaki Hirano. Four billion yen (more than U.S.$30 million) is believed to pass daily through Kabukicho, Shinjuku's raunchy entertainment district, but is untraceable to tax authorities.
According to a gangster interviewed for this report, "underground banks" use restaurants or import firms as their fronts. The gangster is quoted as saying: "Japanese banks make you show ID (identification) when opening an account. It's a nuisance. The underground banks just collect a Yen 4,000 (approximately U.S.$30) service charge and do everything for you, no questions asked. And they're reliable. That's because they know if they lose your money, you'll come back and kill them."
A Fujianese snakehead who goes by the name Lin is used as an example of a member of this underground economy. Lin runs a small-lot lending system that charges Yen 7,500 (about U.S.$56) in interest per week on a Yen 50,000 (about U.S.$376) loan. Lin allegedly collects interest from 50 people each day.
Italian Premier Tells Turkish Envoy of Concern Over Immigrant Ship
BBC Monitoring International Reports, February 2, 2002, from text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia
Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvio Berlusconi called upon Turkey to intensify its measures to prevent illegal human smuggling. Meeting February 1 with the Turkish Ambassador to Italy Necati Utkan, Berlusconi conveyed Italy's "serious uneasiness" over the Turkish ship Engin which came to Italy's Gallipoli port three days earlier carrying illegal immigrants.
The Nation; Path to Refugee Status Easing
By Sean Gill, Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2002
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), working with the State Department, has developed a plan to expedite the granting of refugee status, says James Ziglar, INS Commissioner.
Speaking in Washington February 1 to the National Immigration Forum, Ziglar said the changes would allow INS to reach its 70,000 refugee per year mandate.
Ziglar said that he is working with Homeland Security Director Thomas J. Ridge to develop bilateral border policies with Canada and Mexico. Ziglar is quoted as saying: "If we can find a way to move illegal immigrants into legal channels, we would enable the border patrol to focus on the bad guys coming across the border rather than the people coming across to work."
INS's newly created Office of Juvenile Affairs will help some 5,000 juvenile immigrants who enter the United States unaccompanied by adults, Ziglar said. This office would attempt to reunite children with their parents and develop new guidelines for their care.
More Undocumented Immigrants Are Taking the Bus
By Cindy Gonzalez, Omaha World-Herald, February 1, 2002
Commercial buses are looking more attractive to immigrant smugglers now that airport security has increased in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Tom DeRouchey, of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), is quoted as saying that while illegal immigrant use of buses is not new, the number of arrests and the nationalities involved have risen dramatically.
Immigration officials apprehended 75 undocumented immigrants attempting to cross Nebraska on Greyhound buses the week of January 28 alone.
Undocumented Mexicans were the majority of those apprehended, but illegal aliens from China, Guatemala, Ecuador, the Slavic Republic and Poland were also found.
January 2002
Tung Stresses Hong Kong's Commitment to Fight Against Terrorism
Xinhua General News Service, January 31, 2002
According to Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, Hong Kong's membership in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) demonstrates its commitment to international cooperation in fighting against organized crime and terrorism.
Tung made his remarks at a reception for FATF delegates January 31. The 29-member FATF held three days of talks in Hong Kong to discuss ways to block the flow of funds to terrorist organizations and to review compliance with eight special recommendations adopted in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Laundry Week for Hong Kong Banks
By Jane Moir, South China Morning Post, January 31, 2002
According to this article, financial institutions are disinterested in how terrorists finance their activities. Moir bases this conclusion upon the findings of Pacific Risk, a consultancy firm that has compiled a report on money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Polling compliance officers at some 40 banks in Hong Kong, Pacific Risk director Peter Gallo found that the majority showed "a degree of professional disinterest that borders on disbelief."
Moir writes that "self-regulation in the banking system is not acting as a major deterrent to money laundering on a grand scale." She quotes Gallo's report as saying: "In many cases it appears that the decision (by a financial institution) to accept a questionable client is motivated by profit rather than any legal obligation not to accept funds that may have come from corrupt or criminal sources."
Kenya; Human Smuggling Exposed at Nairobi UNHCR Office
The Monitor, Africa News, January 30, 2002
A report by the United Nations Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIS) confirmed the existence of a criminal network at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nairobi. Refugees were charged up to $5,000 in exchange for asylum in a western country. Nine people have been arrested as a result of investigations.
AFP Opens Shop in Global Blitz
By Keith Moor, Herald Sun, January 30, 2002
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) plan to increase their presence in the world's drug and human smuggling "hot spots."
According to Mick Keelty, AFP Commissioner: "You just can't effectively deal with drug and people smuggling from Australia. The key to it is to take the fight offshore and get involved in source and transit countries...and work with the authorities there."
AFP already has 25 liaison posts in 23 countries. According to Keelty, new offices are being considered in South Africa, Eastern Europe, Iran, Jordan, Brazil, and North Thailand.
AFP played a "major role" in the multinational law enforcement agency task force which recently arrested 13 key members of an Asian organized crime gang involved in global drug and human smuggling.
People Smuggle Racket Busted
By Keith Moor, Courier Mail and The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), January 29, 2002
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have busted an Asian organized crime syndicate responsible for people smuggling and drug running. The syndicate used Pacific island nations, such as Fiji and Tonga, as bases for their operations. "Evidence suggests the gang sent members to Pacific island nations up to a decade ago to set up legitimate businesses which could be used to cover criminal enterprises," Moor writes.
Shane Castles, AFP international operations director, is quoted as saying that "Pacific nations are being exploited and used by criminal syndicates as transhipment points for narcotics and people....These nations present a soft underbelly for Australia."
Philippines, China Agree on Closer Cooperation Against Drug Trafficking, Kidnappings, Other Crimes
The Associated Press, January 29, 2002
The Associated Press reported from Manila that Philippine and Chinese law enforces have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to fight transnational crimes. The Philippines and China signed a mutual extradition treaty last October.
Embassy in Beijing Received Forged Residency Certificates
By Toshinao Ishii, The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), January 27, 2002
"The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has received a number of forged documents from Chinese nationals stating that the Japanese Justice Ministry had authorized them as residents eligible to study at language and vocational schools in Japan," according to this report.
"Earlier this month, The Yomiuri Shimbun discovered that some Chinese government-licensed agencies that arrange for Chinese nationals to study abroad had forged university diplomas and other related documents, which are required when making applications for the resident-status certificate," Ishii writes. The high quality of the forgeries suggests that the documents may have been forged in Japan and brought into China, according to an unnamed Japanese embassy official.
Of the approximately 8,000 visa applications the Japanese embassy receives each month in Beijing, an average of 20 are found to be fake.
Gangsters Steal March on Legit Business: Corporate Japan Could Learn a Thing or Two About How to Downsize from Crime Bosses
By David Ibison, Financial Times (London), January 26, 2002
Japan's economic downturn has hit both legitimate businesses and criminal organizations, but the criminal world seems more flexible and faster to adapt, Ibison reports.
Ibison quotes Shigenori Okazaki, political analyst at UBS Warburg, as saying: "The yakuza have led the way in reform and restructuring in Japan. The wider corporate sector would do well to learn from their example."
According to Ibison, "the three largest criminal groups -- the Yamaguchi-gumi, Inagawa-gumi and Sumiyoshi-gumi -- have consolidated their operations by taking over smaller rivals, reduced their head-count and off loaded duplicated operations....
"The yakuza also reached out internationally, forging stronger links with Chinese 'snakehead' smugglers of illegal immigrants, and joining with the Russian mafia to bring prostitutes to hostess bars and smuggle crabs in Hokkaido."
Ibison adds that the crime world's consolidation has resulted in fewer gang wars.
Sydney Gang Preys on Chinese Letting Out Homes
The Straits Times (Singapore), quoting The Daily Telegraph in Sydney, January 25, 2002
A gang believed to have connections to the Asian crime gang "Big Circle" allegedly is involved with victimizing more than 300 people -- mainly Chinese Australians -- who advertised rooms to rent. This gang is said to be responsible for at least one murder, the rape of a teenage girl, and the theft of more than 100 passports and thousands of dollars.
The gang's leader is reputedly Chun Zhen Liu, an illegal immigrant. He is said to have broken away from the Big Circle gang, which originated in China and which has been tied to human smuggling and heroin trafficking. Chun's breakaway gang is said to have between 400 and 600 members.
Car Check Sparks Hunt for People Smugglers
Sydney Morning Herald, January 23, 2002
A routine auto stop involving three Chinese immigrants in Cabramatta has evolved into an investigation of an alleged multi-million-dollar human smuggling racket from China to Australia. "Detectives have located $12 million in Chinese bank accounts believed to be the proceeds of an estimated 500 robberies in Sydney suburbs over the past three years," according to this report. Organized theft yielded passports, birth certificates and Australian nationalization documents from immigrants from Hong Kong and China. These documents were then offered for sale in China.
Australian police have charged the three immigrants with 25 offences. The three were identified as Chen Xing, Pei Lin Chen, who was using the identity of Yi X Yang, and Ming He, who had been using the name of Danny Wu.
Smuggling of Immigrants Is Continuing
By Rhonda Cook, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, January 22, 2002
The Southeastern United States continues to attract illegal immigrants, thanks to an abundance of low-paying jobs, writes Cook. Lani Wong, chairman of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Chinese Americans, told Cook: "People want to make more money and more profit, and they want to take advantage of these people because they are undocumented."
Day laborers, who depend on employers to pick them up and take them to jobs each day, are especially exploited, according to Wong. "I hear these horror stories of day laborers who work every day but by the time Friday comes and it's pay day, these people will not come and pick them up.... (T)hey (the workers) have no way of getting their money," Wong said.
In March 2001, Immigration and Naturalization (INS) officials in the Atlanta district detained 99 suspected illegal immigrants from China, El Salvador, Indonesia, Mexico and other countries after raiding restaurants, apartments and houses. In August 1999, INS found 132 Chinese men in a compartment aboard a freighter in Savannah, Georgia. Six men were indicted in that case and received prison sentences ranging from two to seven years.
China to Send Investigation Mission to Japan
Kyodo News International, Inc., January 14, 2002
China will send a six-member mission to Japan later this month to investigate the status of crimes committed by Chinese nationals living in Japan, this report says.
Jin Murai, Japanese state minister and chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, has meet with Chinese Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang to discuss promoting bilateral cooperation in fighting cross-border crimes such as people and drug smuggling as well as terrorism.
Muria quoted Jia as saying, "We have to fight illegal Chinese to preserve the honor of the majority of good Chinese residents of Japan," this report says.
INS Trying to Build a Case for Smuggling
By Jody A. Benjamin with Marian Dozier contributing, Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), January 11, 2002
and
Illegal Migrants Nabbed in Restaurant, House Raids
By Alfonso Chardy and Adrienne Samuels, The Miami Herald, January 10, 2002
Federal immigration agents arrested 25 undocumented migrant workers January 9 in Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida. The arrests came after two years of investigations by authorities with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Huang Zeng Chang is being held in INS custody, charged with harboring and transporting illegal workers.
According to James Goldman, assistant INS district director, the migrants had been living in "deplorable conditions."
"Our goal is not to go around arresting as many illegal Chinese as we can," Goldman said. "Our goal is to charge someone criminally with smuggling or harboring illegals so that we can disrupt the flow."
"Big Sister" Closer to Smuggling Trial in U.S.
By Sara Bradford, South China Morning Post, January 8, 2002
and
Hong Kong to Extradite Alleged Human Smuggler to the United States
AP Worldstream, January 8, 2002
Alleged human-smuggler Cheng Chui-ping -- known also has "Sister Ping" or "Big Sister Ping" -- failed to overturn an extradition order made by Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. She will be handed over to U.S. authorities if she does not appeal the decision within 28 days after the extradition order is sealed, which is expected the week of January 14.
Cheng, 52, is wanted by U.S. authorities for allegedly smuggling an estimated 3,000 Fujianese to the United States between 1984 and 1994, thus building a $40-million criminal empire. She is also charged with taking immigrants hostage and threatening them with death or injury in order to extract smuggling fees.
Cheng has been sought for the last five years by U.S. authorities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service and New York City Police Department. She was arrested in Hong Kong in April 2000 and has since been held in custody at a women's detention center there.
