And how did Michelle get this information so fast??
I'm guessing she gets it the same way Bill Gertz gets his info... from sources he's developed on the inside. They probably gave her a "heads up."
From the article...
He was apprehended by the Border Patrol in Bellingham, Wash., in December 2001, but was then let go by the INS district in Seattle in clear violation of federal law and contrary to what the arresting Border Patrol officers intended, according to my law enforcement sources.
According to INS records I obtained, Malvo was arrested by Border Patrol agents in Bellingham, Wash., on December 19, 2001. Local police called the Border Patrol during an incident involving "some sort of custody dispute" between Malvo's mother, Uma Sceon James, and John Mohammed (the ex-Army soldier with black radical Muslim ties now at the center of the sniper investigation). James admitted that six months earlier, "she and her son were passengers on a cargo ship that was filled with 'illegal asians (sic).' They were all off loaded in the Miami, FL area where she immediately located work at the Red Lobster in Ft. Myers, FL."
I'm not aware that John Mohammed was married to Malvo's mother. Reports today state that Malvo isn't his stepson.
OK .. just one question if John Mohammed was married to Lee Malvo mother .. then why would she have to jump ship?? And how did Michelle get this information so fast??Michelle put in a lot of time in the Seattle area. She was an outstanding reporter who probably has a nice thick Rolodex(R). I'm sure she would have no problem digging up the requisite underlying facts in the PNW to support her story.
Connections. All good journalists cultivate connections.
She's done much research on immigration for her book and articles on the topic. Journalists cultivte inside connections, in this case,, probably someone in the Seattle/Bellingham INS office who wants things to tighten up too.
Here's a plausible guess:
1. Michelle has been heavily involved in researching this topic for a few years now, both for her regular columns and for background to her recently-published book Invasion.
2. In the course of this research, she has collected quite a Rolodex full of current and former INS agents in the rank-and-file, who are (as she often mentions) sick, tired, appalled and angry that the higher-ups in that "service" are routinely negating the hard work that the hard-working have put in to catch these miscreants and get them out of our country.
3. This means that she can pick up the phone at a moment's notice--like just as soon as Malvo's name went public--and get her sources to quickly track down the immigration status of these kinds of folks.
Hope that helps answer your question.