Free Republic

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid could be deposed for ICE whistleblower Taylor Johnson’s new lawsuit because complaints from his office precipitated her ouster. Johnson’s attorney, Morris Fischer, told the Washington Gadfly that, “We will attempt to depose whoever is involved in this corruption up to and including Harry Reid. His fingerprints are all over the place.” The veteran law enforcement agent, who DHS fired in February after she rejected $100,000 in hush money, filed a Merit System Protection Board claim against the agency earlier this month. Johnson, a single mother of four, had a storied career until she ran afoul...

The Trump administration has taken its first step to building the wall on the Mexican-American border as it has requested proposals from contractors and plans to have a prototype built by mid-March. The US Customs and Border Protection issued the preliminary requests on Friday and said it will accept proposals next month for the design of the wall. The agency also said the it would release requests on or about March 6 asking companies for prototype ideas.

In a shocking development, it has been revealed that the son of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was detained for hours by immigration officials earlier this month at a Florida airport, and was repeatedly asked about his religion. Muhammad Ali Jr, 44, and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the first wife of Muhammad Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on February 7 after an event in Jamaica, when they were pulled aside while going through customs because of their 'Arabic-sounding names', reports the USA Today quoting Ali's family friend and lawyer Chris Mancini. Camacho-Ali was let go after she showed...

Commissioner's Blog for Kerlikowski: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/blogs Leadership page, NO KERLIKOWSKI, but an Acting Commissioner: https://www.cbp.gov/about/leadership-organization Did Kerlikowski just resign or get canned? Please verify...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents working with Mexican immigration officials have found thousands of non-Hispanic illegal immigrants crossing Mexico’s southern border to make their way to Texas. The “extra-continental” immigrants enter countries as far south as Brazil and make their way to the United States, often with forged travel documents. “The reality is that the vast majority of the people that Mexico encounters [on its southern border] that are extra-continental will eventually end up on our border,” a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official told Reuters this week. The Reuters article confirmed the Syrian nationals reported at...

<p>Doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey confirmed Tuesday the birth of a child suffering from Zika-linked microcephaly, a condition wherein the child's brain and head are partially developed.</p> <p>The mother, who is 31 but whose name was not disclosed, contracted the Zika virus while in Honduras and was admitted to the emergency room at Hackensack on Friday while vacationing in the United States. Tuesday, doctors delivered her baby girl, who was born also with intestinal and visual issues. Reports indicate she is the first child born with Zika-linked complications in the New York tri-state area.</p>

A mail from the Cargo Systems Messaging Service of the US Customs and Border Protection dated to this Saturday, and revealed by Channel 1's "Mabat" show on Thursday, shows the US is now required products from Judea and Samaria to be labeled differently. In new instructions on marking requirements sent out to American importers, goods from Judea and Samaria are not to be marked "Israel." Those who do not comply are to be sanctioned. "West Bank Country of Origin Marking Requirements," reads the title of the mail, which begins by clarifying that "the purpose of this message is to provide...

Passengers arriving at Kennedy Airport on an international flight were allowed to exit the busy hub without going through Customs -- for at least the second time in recent months, the Daily News has learned. Bumbling airline and security officials let travelers on American Airlines Flight 1223 from Cancun, Mexico, out of the airport on Monday morning without having their passports or bags checked, sources told The News. The security lapse mirrored a similar incident involving another American Airlines flight in November. A 34-year-old man who had been in Cancun to attend three Phish concerts told The News he was...

EXCLUSIVE: 150 on flight from Mexico allowed to skip customs, leave JFK airport What airheads! Airline and security officials at Kennedy Airport let 150 passengers arriving from an international flight leave the airport without going through customs, the Daily News has learned. American Airlines Flight 1671 arrived at JFK from Cancun, Mexico, at 8:50 p.m. Friday. When the plane landed, passengers walked out of the airport without having their passports or bags checked by Customs and Border Protection, sources told The News. A source familiar with the matter said passengers disembarking the plane “just followed” a gate agent. The...

There are a number of customs and gestures that Americans use without thinking twice. But when traveling abroad, they will not only out you as a tourist, but could get you in hot water in other countries. Inspired by this Quora thread, we've rounded up some of the most common American customs that are seen as offensive elsewhere. 1. Tipping A contentious issue even here, both over- and under-tipping can quickly make you the least popular person at the table. But in Japan and South Korea tipping is seen as an insult. In those countries, workers feel they are getting...

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 18-year-old Jesus Yeizon Deniz-Mendoza, from Mexico, was legally admitted to enter the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry May 31, 2013. The following is an official statement from ICE, regarding what could happen if Deniz is convicted of a crime: This individual does not have any criminal convictions, and, as a permanent resident, is not currently removable. Thus, an ICE detainer cannot be placed on the individual at this time. However, ICE is closely monitoring this case and coordinating with local authorities. If he is convicted for a...

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents who detained conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe at the airport specifically asked him about the work he’s done investigating the “federal government.”O’Keefe was detained by U.S. customs agents Monday after arriving at the airport in Nassau, Bahamas en route to Miami. Agents told O’Keefe that he was being detained for crossing back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border while dressed as Osama bin Laden in a video that was published by The Daily Caller. Agents marked his passport with an “X” and explained that he would be detained every time he enters U.S. territory henceforth....

A Canadian man claiming to be one of a group of international tourists being sought for arrest in Malaysia after stripping on top of “sacred” Mount Kinabalu has responded to accusations by Malaysian politicians on Facebook that he and his peers triggered a deadly earthquake with their insolence. Responding to death threats from Malaysian believers, Emil Kaminski wrote on Facebook, “f*ck your culture.”

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - The global economic outlook just got brighter after this week's big stimulus from the European Central Bank, leading policymakers from around the world said Saturday. In a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, they said a perkier Europe, coupled with a prolonged period of low oil prices, could help shore up the global economy following a period of underperformance that has prompted many forecasters to reduce their growth forecasts. "Lower oil prices and the big decision by ECB could further improve world economic outlook," said Haruhiko Kuroda, governor of the Bank of Japan.

A federal customs official at New Jersey's Newark International Airport says that they are not trained or equipped to face passengers who might be infected with Ebola. ... The agent, who wanted to stay anonymous, noted that no doctors or CDC personnel had been assigned to his airport for any flights from Africa or countries with connecting flights to Ebola effected areas. ... This unnamed Customs agent isn't the only one saying that few are prepared for Ebola. A nurses union recently contradicted the CDC's Dr. Thomas Frieden who claimed that all of America's hospitals are ready for Ebola. The...

This is the evil of a dying republic - waving through gangbangers at the southern border, but at the northern border detaining boy scouts for four hours. No novelist or movie director would attempt that contrast - it's too pat, too neat. But it's somehow become American reality in the 21st century.Just to be clear: that boy scout did nothing wrong. When the CBP officer demanded he hand over the camera, Mr Fox should have refused and asked to see the agent's supervisor.But it gets better: Another of the Scouts was taking luggage from the top of a van to...

What was expected to be a routine stopover at Bangor International Airport for a plane filled with returning U.S. troops and defense contractors Sunday night instead became a frustrating ordeal for many of those aboard. For the 102 U.S. troops returning from Afghanistan and Kuwait on Delta flight 8964, getting off the plane was fairly routine and featured a hero’s welcome from the Maine Troop Greeters in attendance. It was a different story for the 112 Department of Defense contractors — those hired to fly drones, do intelligence analysis, fix computers and other jobs — some of whom were kept...

4x4 fans look away now! Land Rovers imported to U.S. are CRUSHED by customs for failing safety rules because they don't have airbags • The exclusive vehicle was seized by customs officers in Baltimore • Its importer had attempted to fool the authorities by changing its plate • But they spotted the ruse and deemed it unfit for the US' roads • Often selling for upwards of $100,000, this one is now worth just $30 The wrecking claw hangs over the Land Rover Defender as its operator prepares to crush the exclusive vehicle on the orders of US customs. Moments...

My wife, three children and I are all US citizens. Returning to the United States yesterday via Miami International Airport, my wife and I were asked what we do for a living. The border agent checked his screen after we answered. He asked my girls after consulting his computer monitor, "Which one of you is the singer? And which one of you is the dancer?" in light of the NSA database stories, perhaps I'm being paranoid. But I felt like they had this information and we're verifying it. He entered notes on his screen as we answered. My girls are...

Chip Cantor told his story .... On June 4, he told KMBC he was traveling to Britain to visit and gain summer work experience, and to participate in a fundraiser for a child who has cancer. He left Kansas City on Wednesday, May 29, landed in Britain after 10 p.m. London time and waited in line to go through customs. .... Chip’s father, Chuck Cantor, said .... the customs agent was very pleasant .... until she saw the Israel stamps in his passport. Then she simply walked away with his passport without speaking a word to him. Chip told his...