Thursday, December 15, 2011

SLC Airport Immigration Raid Great Achievement in War on Terrorism? Sunday's 10th Anniversary Went Unnoticed

The beginning of one of the greatest achievements in the war on terrorism (at least one of the great achievements according to then U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft) took place right here in Salt Lake City, Dec. 11, 2001.

The 10th anniversary this past Sunday passed us with scarcely a notice. If it caught a plug in the media, I didn't notice. I learned of it when immigration attorney Mark Alvarez made mention of it while we were, ironically, at a vigil Monday marking the fifth anniversary of another immigration raid (the Swift raid).
Hail back to the 2001 raid, to consider what it achieved in the war on terror. The pall of 9-11 hung freshly over the land. The fear of where terrorists might strike next clawed into the nation's psychic. And, with Olympics having been a past targets, and with the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City looming, there was fear for the Salt Lake City Games.

So, federal agents swept into town, making Salt Lake City the initial raid in a series that would eventually include about a half dozen other airports.

The raid came three months to the day after 9-11.

Our enemy in the War on Terror has largely been from the Middle East, operatives in such groups as al-Qaeda. The people hit in the Great Raid of Salt Lake International -- if I may call it that -- were largely from Mexico, and Central and South America. Have any of the terrorists in our war on terror originated from these places?

And, rather than fitting the profile of secret operatives away from their families, those apprehended in Salt Lake City were family men, workers all, laboring to carve out a living for themselves and their families.

Any ties to terrorism? U.S. Attorney Paul Warner said none of those caught had attempted any type of terrorism. So, not only did they not fit the profile of terrorists, there was no evidence any of them were going to commit terrorism.

No less than 271 were fired from their jobs in Salt Lake City, many for falsifying their applications. A good number used Social Security numbers issued them in a state program to provide them drivers licenses, but that were not intended -- or valid -- for obtaining work.

The fired lost jobs ranging from being fuelers, to being food service workers, to being -- ah, yes -- security screeners. Sixty-nine people were indicted. Of the 69, two-thirds of the cases were later dismissed or ended up in nothing more serious than probation, with the probations ranging from a single day to 36 months. I do not know how many deportations there were, nor do I know what the most serious crime was.

A great raid? A great achievement? Those who assail people coming from south of the border to take jobs illegally certainly would hail it as a great achievement, regardless whether it affected the War on Terror.

But, I think not. These people did make the mistake of using Social Security numbers in a way they should not have. And, they did falsify applications.But -- you be the judge -- are these offenses of the sort to suppose we are making a great mark in our War on Terror if we round up the offenders?

I will grant you it is hard to judge what didn't happen during the Olympics, since these people were removed from their jobs and no longer in line to commit terrorism.

But, perhaps you will grant me, in turn, that these were hardly hardened criminals, nor potential terrorists. Being from south of the border -- though lacking proper work papers -- does not a terrorist make.

Would that we had not treated these people this way. Fire them for falsifying their applications, if you will, but do not dub them possible terrorists. Do not suppose that removing them was a great act in the War on Terror, and a great thing for our national defense.

Branding a common laborer a terrorist? It is a little much, to me. Perhaps we should have marked the 10th anniversary of the raid as an example of how fear can drive us to persecute people in a way they shouldn't be persecuted. (And, I refer to the branding of them as would-be terrorists as a form of persecution.)

No comments:

Post a Comment