Hi Gang:
I just received an article from a former colleague of the INS who shared a news report with me and with several others including former Border Patrol agents concerning the successful investigation, arrest and prosecution of two former Border Patrol agents for running a large scale smuggling operation who were identified as being brothers and naturalized citizens of the United States. Their names are Raul Villareal and Fidel Villareal and reportedly they were born in Mexico.
Let me begin by noting that the vast majority of Border Patrol agents are trustworthy men and women who serve our nation with distinction under horribly adverse conditions- often conditions created by the DHS. These courageous law enforcement professionals are worthy of our support. However, any law enforcement officer who betrays his oath of office and public trust is worse than a criminal because of their betrayal to their oath and trust that was bestowed upon them!
A number of news organizations reported on this case including the Huffington Post which has published a series of articles about the investigation, arrest and prosecution of the Villareal brothers. A copy of the links to a series of these articles is attached to the bottom of this e-mail.
It was a bit ironic that according to published news reports, Raul Villareal, the ringleader of the smuggling ring had been a spokesperson for DHS and had played an alien smuggler in a public service film as reported in a CBS News “Crimesider” report:
Here is how the irony was noted in the CBS report:
Prosecutors said Raul Villarreal – who made television appearances as an agency spokesman and once played the role of a smuggler in a public service ad -recruited his brother to his ring that smuggled in Mexicans and Brazilians. One Brazilian woman told investigators she paid $12,000 to cross.
Federal officials said they also took bribes from public officials.
There are a few other issues that need to be considered in this case.
The CBS News report, in noting the maximum jail time that the brothers could receive, make it clear that many illegal aliens were smuggled into the United States by the Villareal brothers and their co-conspirators:
(CBS/AP) SAN DIEGO – Two brothers who worked as Border Patrol agents were scheduled to be sentenced Friday for smuggling hundreds of immigrants into the United States in one of the highest-profile corruption cases to sting the federal agency in a decade.
Raul and Fidel Villarreal face a maximum of 50 years in prison and at least $1.25 million in penalties when they appear before U.S. District Court Judge John A. Houston in San Diego.
Finally, the report noted that apparently the rapid process by which the Border Patrol doubled its size in a decade did not adequately screen its newly hired agents. Consider this quote:
The Border Patrol has suffered a string of such embarrassments since doubling its size in less than a decade, including the case of an agent who pleaded guilty in April to smuggling marijuana while on duty along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Now the “Gang of Eight” aka the “Eight Gangsters” are proposing that the Border Patrol will again double its numbers. How and who whill conduct the background investigations into the newly hire agents, presuming that this is done?
While it is entirely possible that a thorough background investigation of these two criminals would not have uncovered their malevolent intentions, it is clear that many warning signs were missed during their employment by the DHS.
There are a number of additional questions raised by the disturbing news report that were never asked or answered.
While the smugglers were described as being naturalized citizens, there was not mention as to when they acquired United States citizenship. It is essential to understand that the great majority of aliens who seek United States citizenship are decent people who simply want to become American citizens. I am, however, concerned that there is little done to actually investigate aliens who apply for naturalization, even though the 9/11 Commission made it clear the immigration benefits were an essential factor in the embedding tactics of terrorists.
On Novermber 29, 2006 the Washington Post ran an article about that fiasco entitled:
Here are the first three paragraphs from this disturbing news report:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has lost track of 111,000 files in 14 of the agency’s busiest district offices and processed as many as 30,000 citizenship applications last year without the necessary files, congressional investigators reported yesterday.
The Government Accountability Office, Congress’s audit arm, conducted the review at the request of Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) after U.S. authorities granted citizenship in 2002 to a man without checking his primary file. The file, which was lost, indicated ties to the militant Islamic group Hezbollah.
“It only takes one missing file of somebody with links to a terrorist organization to become an American citizen,” said Grassley, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. “We can’t afford to be handing out citizenship with blinders on.”
This made a complete and utter mockery of the entire immigration benefits program with serious national security ramifications yet no one was fired or, to my knowledge, even disciplined! This was just seen as another one of those screw-ups that are all but inevitable!
USCIS processes between six million and seven million applications each and every year and there are fewer than 700 investigators assigned to USCIS to attempt to maintain integrity to the agency that is, for all intents and purposes, the locksmith of the United States. (Lawful immigrant status and especially United States citizenship are often referred to as the “Keys to the kingdom.”) Indeed, the Villareals could not have become Border Patrol agents had they not acquired United States citizenship. I am concerned that they may have applied to naturalize so that they could become Border Patrol agents, thus enabling them to carry out the crimes for which they now stand convicted.
Once again I am forced to ask the inevitable question- what sort of integrity could be infused into the processing of massive numbers of applications that would be filed in conjunction with Comprehensive Immigration Reform, should that disastrous legislation actually be enacted? You must realize that there are no resources to conduct face-to-face interviews or even conduct field investigations into the information contained in the applications for legalization.
Additionally, there was no mention in any news report of any efforts being mounted by DHS (The Department of Homeland Surrender) to identify, locate or arrest any of the smuggled aliens who are presumably living somewhere in the United States. The news report noted that a Brazilian woman who had been one of those smuggled into the United States paid some $12,000.00 for being smuggled into the United States. Clearly she was not deterred from violating America’s borders or immigration laws by having to pay the smugglers a considerable sum of money.
Yet the Administration and supporters of Comprehensive Immigration Reform talk about how illegal aliens would be fined. Even if the fines would not be waived. Furthermore, aliens who evade the inspections process may have more nefarious goals in mind then working illegally. This is why it is not insignificant when aliens run our borders.
A person who enters into a building or onto land to which he (she) has no authorization to enter into or onto is violating laws that are intended to protect the rights and safety of those who are authorized to be present in those facilities or on that land.
The immigration laws of the United States are consistent with this fundamental principle except that it extends this fundamental concept of law and commonsense to our entire country.
Title 8, United States Code, Section 1182 enumerates the various categories of aliens who are to be excluded from the United States. A review of those categories makes the intention and importance of our immigration laws, our borders and the inspections process crystal clear. Among the classes of aliens who are supposed to be excluded from the United States are who suffer from dangerous communicable diseases. Aliens who suffer extreme mental illness and are prone to violence or are sex offenders (rapists and pedophiles). Additional categories of excludible aliens include convicted felons, drug traffickers, human traffickers, money launderers, human rights violators, war criminals, terrorists and spies. Finally, aliens who would seek to work illegally or become public charges are also to be kept out of the United States.
Smuggled aliens are not “Victims of Human Trafficking” as the open borders advocates (aka Immigration Anarchists) would have you believe. Aliens who pay smugglers to facilitate their surreptitious entry into the United States earn a different title- “Co-Conspirator!”
Yet the smugglers may get prosecuted but the aliens they smuggle into the United States are now being considered candidates for lawful status, employment authorization and ultimately, United States citizenship, even though there is no way of knowing their true identities, true dates of entry into the United States, their actual backgrounds including the individuals or organizations they may be affiliated with, yet under Comprehensive Immigration Reform, they would be candidates for the “Keys to the Kingdom!”
If Comprehensive Immigration Reform is enacted there will be no “do-overs!”
We must learn the lessons of history or be doomed to relive the mistakes of history!
Immigration is not a single issue but a singular issue that impacts nearly every challenge and threat confronting the United States today!
Our armed forces are charged with securing America’s borders externally while the DHS is supposed to secure those same borders from within. The failures of the DHS to live up to its half of the equation are undermining the efforts, valor and incredible sacrifices of Americas men and women who serve in our military!The immigration laws are supposed to achieve two primary goals- to protect American lives and protect Americans’ jobs.
Our nation is greatly benefited by the rich diversity of our people which is why I could never imagine living anywhere except New York City, arguably the most diverse city in our nation if not, in fact, the world. However, my idea of diversity most certainly does not include members of MS-13, the Mexican drug cartels or members of other transnational gangs or members of al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations!
It is also vital that American workers never be made to compete with foreign workers for their jobs! (This requirement is a component of the Immigration Laws that are not being enforced today!)
If our government’s failures to secure our nation’s borders and effectively enforce our immigration laws that are intended to protect our nation and our citizens concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation!
I also ask that you pass this e-mail along to your friends and neighbors- I am attempting to create a “Bucket Brigade of Truth!”
We the People must make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are!
We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.
This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!
You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
-michael cutler-
Please check out my website:
https://www.michaelcutler.net/
On Friday evenings from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM Eastern Time, I host my show, “The Michael Cutler Hour” on the USA Talk Radio Network on Blog Talk Radio.
Call in and join the conversation! The phone number is 310-982-4145
I hope you will be listening! (Please tell your friends and neighbors!)
Here is a link to the program:
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AP | Posted 10.10.2012 | Latino Voices
Read More: Border Patrol Smuggling, Border Patrol Agents, Raul and Fidel Villarreal, Brazil, Mexico, Fidel Villarreal, Border Patrol, Raul Villarreal, Latino Voices News
SAN DIEGO — Two former Border Patrol agents were found guilty Friday of smuggling hundreds of people into the U.S. in Border Patrol vehicles. Raul a…
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Andrew Becker | Posted 07.31.2012 | Crime
Read More: Corruption, Bribery, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, Fidel Villarreal, Raul Villarreal, Raul and Fidel Villarreal, Raul and Fidel Villarreal Smuggling, Crime News
The Villarreal brothers are just two of a handful of Customs and Border Protection employees in Southern California charged with corruption-related crimes in recent years to contest prosecution rather than accept a plea agreement.
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AP | ELLIOT SPAGAT | Posted 05.25.2011 | Home
Read More: Border Agents Mexico, Border Agents Smuggling, Raul and Fidel Villarreal, Raul and Fidel Villarreal Smuggling, Home News
PASADENA, Calif. — Two former Border Patrol agents were arrested in Mexico after more than two years on the run and were charged in the U.S. wit…
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