American, Two Iraqi's Are Charged In Tijuana

signonsandiego.com ^ | 2-2-05 | Anna Carley

[txdoda]

February 2, 2005

TIJUANA – An American man and two Iraqis arrested at the Tijuana airport last week have been charged with immigration violations, according to Mexican authorities.

A Mexican federal judge will determine whether to dismiss the charges or proceed with a trial. The men are being held at a state prison in Tijuana.

The three flew to Tijuana from Mexico City Jan. 26 on an Aeromexico flight, but they were stopped by Mexican immigration authorities who inspected their documents, according to Mexican authorities.

The Iraqis – later identified as Steven Yohanan Kurkis and Kaml Meti Bashar – showed passports from Greece under the names of Nikolaos Skarvelis and Nabil Megalli, according to a news release from the Mexican Attorney General's Office.

The American, Samer Toma Oraha, showed an expired U.S. passport with his name on it, according to the release.

An initial investigation determined that the Iraqi citizens traveled from Greece to Spain and then to Mexico, according to Mexican authorities. Oraha, identified as their contact in Mexico City, was going to take them to the United States for about $10,000 each, according to Mexican authorities.

The Baja California border is a popular crossing point for Iraqi Chaldeans, who typically seek asylum in the United States. It was unclear whether the detained men were Chaldeans. Mexican authorities have been targeting smuggling rings that bring Middle Easterners through the border.

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[FITZ]

"Although the perceived importance of immigration has increased, it remains near the bottom of a list of issues in terms of the priority the president and Congress should give it, according to the public. "

Likely Americans feel much safer when Bush gives immigration less importance --- as long as he's taking his orders from Fox and the others --- we're better off if he just forgets the issue completely.

[F16Fighter]

"Or the other translation --- we're supposed to suddenly be convinced that the Mexican government can provide us all the security we need --- nothing at all to worry about --- the Mexicans will catch the rare Iraqi or Arab terrorist coming through while pushing millions of their citizens over to our side. Mexico can't begin to solve the murders of over 400 women in one town, or do a single thing to slow down the drug cartels --- but man oh man --- they're sure good at protecting our border."

Either way, Mexico + Law Enforcement+ Security = Joke. We may as well depend on the foxes to guard the henhouse while we're at it.