Traveler with TB did not use alias

The Washington Times ^ | October 26, 2007 | Audrey Hudson and Sara A. Carter

[neverdem]

Key senators said a Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis did not use a fake name to enter the country 76 times and take numerous flights, as Homeland Security spokesmen had previously stated.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and the panel's ranking member, said that Customs and Border Protection officials had the name and a corrected date of birth by mid-April but that the man continued to cross the border unfettered 21 more times.

"He wasn't using an alias," Miss Collins said.

"The first report that we got from the [Homeland Security] department was that that was the reason. That turned out not to be the case," Miss Collins said.

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Mr. Lieberman and Miss Collins questioned Paul Rosenzweig, Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary for policy, about the conflicting excuses and the potential health threat caused by the lapse during a hearing this week.

"We are not satisfied, and we don't want this to happen again," said Mr. Lieberman, who along with Miss Collins is drafting a follow-up letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt demanding more answers on how the health-security lapse occurred.

The Washington Times last week reported that Amado Isidro Armendariz Amaya made the border crossings from August 2006 to June 2007. Homeland Security (DHS) officials had said the Mexican businessman was traveling under an alias.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was warned by Mexican health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected with multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis.

But according to internal DHS e-mails obtained by The Times...

[Thrownatbirth]

My name is Sancho Alonzo Moreno
I work for five dollars a day
I go see Miss Lucy.....

[trumandogz]

Key senators said a Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis did not use a fake name to enter the country 76 times and take numerous flights, as Homeland Security spokesmen had previously stated.

Just, Wonderful.

[Perchant]

They knew this guy was coming into the country and knew his name but didn’t want to inform those that had contact with him that they could have been exposed to tuberculosis. It would be bad press at a time when they were pushing hard for amnesty, they didn’t want to worry Americans about TB from Mexico.

Leiberman opposes the fence but he wants to pretend he’s concerned about TB cases coming into the US unchecked. Collins voted to kill the fence ( SA 4188 ) but she wants us to believe that she wants to stop TB at the border.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

We might as well have the DMV in charge of security.

[Old Flat Toad]

76 times in 10 months? The TB is a smokescreen to cover up the fact that this guy is using a sophisticated network to move back and forth without detection. Twice a week trips across the border says he’s got some (illegal) business entanglements.