Posted on 08/16/2006 1:12:51 AM PDT by Rte66
(WCCO) Bloomington, Minn. For the first time today, we heard from the Egyptian foreign exchange student arrested in Minneapolis.
Eslam El-Dessouki is one of eleven young men authorities picked up after entering the country on student visas, but never showing up at school.
In a Bloomington, Minn. immigration courtroom, a judge asked the student some very tough questions.
Several times, the Egyptian student was asked, "Why didn't you go to Montana State as required by your student visa?"
El-Dessouki said, "It was the first time out of my country, I just think to visit my uncle... I didn't know if I didn't attend school it would be a crime."
(Excerpt) Read more at wcco.com ...
Let's send them to Gitmo instead.
PROBABLY?! It better be more than 'probably', buddy.
This whole thing is such a bunch of BS.
But I can't believe we actually had the will power to care where these clowns went and to actually track them down. That's a start. Too bad we didn't do this with our borders a LONG time ago.
It's incredibly naive for americans (& europeans) to think that all we have to do is roll up the carpet & cover our heads & western civilization will somehow survive for successive generations to enjoy. Jihad ain't going away ever & it's going to take more than magic bullets fired from behind a border fence to vanquish it.
I WAS being generous. When I went to work in HK, my boss laid out all the directions to the office from the airport. I hardly think Montana just left this guy to figure out how to get there all on his own. Maybe my generosity needs to be reconsidered. :)
We need to revoke all student visas from Moslim countries until the terror threat ceases.
Also send the administration at Montana State a bill for the expenses incured in this man-hunt. Perhaps they will not be in such a roaring rush to import these clowns next time.
Bump
The only reason we did look for them and find them all was because Montana State U *did* do the right thing.
The law gives them 30 days before they declare a visa-holding student to be "missing" if the student visa-holder hasn't shown up for classes.
In this case, this was just a summer course lasting only 30 days, so MSU couldn't wait all that time before reporting - they didn't have a whole semester to look for them.
Thus, MSU waited about a week and then reported them to ICE or FBI or whoever they notified. I'm sure glad they used their common sense on this one to override the "law."
Oh, I'm sure they do have buses in Egypt. But is there a Greyhound terminal at JFK? Maybe there is, I don't know.
If so, I can see that someone may have directed the "student" to the bus terminal, but other than that, finding a Greyhound terminal elsewhere in NYC and buying a bus ticket to Minneapolis are a far cry from seeing what could be done about getting his plane ticket changed to a new flight to Monatana.
Should have been done right after 9/11. I'm amazed, though not surprised, that this is still going on. By far my biggest disappointment in Bush is his failure to take meaningful action on immigration. He had a historic opportunity to change immigration policy after 9/11, and totally flubbed it.
Yes, perhaps so. ;>
It might be useful for the programs to continue, as long as the State Dept is supervising every single application and visit. They're evidently doing that now, but perhaps not doing enough follow-through. We don't really know.
At least, the 30-day rule could be changed to 1-week - we can see that worked well in this case. What's important is to have accurate info on those who are visiting as students. Just as important is knowing who those students are associating with, once in the U.S.
They are inside the United States soil, their islamic law doesn't apply here.
Agreed. Think of the intel they have gained from this stunt. They now have a good idea of the time table another attack would have to work within. They have a good idea how many will be caught within a given time. Etc..
Even college grads, in Egypt, have a terrible time of it, getting a job. People pay money, there, ( BRIBES ), to get jobs. The father of one of the missing 11 said that he looked on all of the money that this trip cost him, was no different and CHEAPER than a bribe, in Egypt.
Now, go sit in a corner and contemplate just what a jerk you are.
WHO SAID THAT ANY OF THEM FCLUNKED OUT OF THEIR COLLEGES, IN EGYPT?
It sure wasn't me! What I said, is that the college, in Egypt, has now KICKED THEM OUT FOR THIS STUNT! They can't go back to that school and probably no other one will take them, when they get back home and they ARE being deported.
Some terrorists come in this way, but for this crowd, your tinfoil is on too tight.
A couple of these guys could have a terrorist affiliation, but a lot of the missing 11 have relatives and/or family friends living here and they went to them, at least two of them already had legit JOBS, when they were picked up.
That "they" do! :-)
As long as they have the money, colleges didn't report this........BEFORE. But I think that the foiled terrorist bomb plan shook things up here; for now, anyway.
They heard that from other muslims...it was easy to do...and no one would care or look for him. So true at one time.
Terrorists probing security? Pushing the LEO's limits? Sightsee? Maybe. Probably not. 8/22 is next Tuesday...
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