21 Held in Apparent Human Smuggling Case

[icymist]

By TIM KLASS
Associated Press Writer

April 5, 2006, 10:14 AM EDT


SEATTLE -- Twenty-one people were in custody Wednesday after they apparently let themselves out of a 40-foot cargo container used to smuggle them from China, officials said.

The 17 men and four women, all believed to be Chinese nationals in their 20s and 30s, seemed to be in good physical condition after two weeks in the container, said Michael Milne, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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22 caught in apparent human smuggling effort at Port of Seattle

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 · Last updated 8:33 a.m. PT

22 caught in apparent human smuggling effort at Port of Seattle

P-I STAFF and NEWS SERVICES

Twenty-two people were being held early Wednesday after they apparently arrived in a 40-foot cargo container at the Port of Seattle aboard a ship from China, officials said.

Security guards spotted the 18 men and four women about 1 a.m. at Terminal 18 and determined that they were not crew members from the recently arrived cargo ship Rotterdam, said Michael Milne, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

All appeared to be Chinese nationals in their 20s and 30s and in good physical condition after about 15 days in a 40-foot container that was loaded onto the Liberian-flagged ship in Shanghai, China, Milne said.

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[noonwitch]

1. This so disgusts me,

I do support changing immigration policies, but not for racist or ethnocentric reasons. For humanitarian reasons, to prevent this type of thing from happening. These guys were lucky to make it here alive. People packed into trucks coming from Mexico die in the heat every summer. We do need to crack down of illegal immigration for this reason, not because "They took our jobs".

[justice1]

2. Would they fit the description of Asylum seekers?

According to government documents, we raised the ceiling to allow 70000 per year. We've only been averaging about 50000.

States that take them in are given federal aid, to off set the costs incurred.

A way to deal with illegal immigration, is to have a lottery for people that don't meet the standard criteria. Using the difference between the two numbers, would determine how many openings would be available. It would be a path to citizenship, without the guest worker program, which could be easily exploited.

[chill_wind]

3. Dems Get Cargo Inspection Amendment

Fortunately, the Democrats are going to fix the problem while the Republicans refuse. Two Democratic members of Congress got an amendment passed today in a House committee, and the amendment requires 100% of incoming cargo to be inspected - not the paltry 5% that George Bush and the Republicans have been comfortable checking.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/

Here:

Transportation Committee Passes Nadler-Oberstar Amendment to
Scan 100% of Shipping Containers


Committee adopts a version of the S.O.S. Act, a tenet of the Democratic Real Security Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today adopted an amendment by Congressman Jerrold Nadler and Ranking Member James Oberstar to implement 100-percent scanning of shipping containers bound for the United States. Nadler and Oberstar introduced a standalone version of the legislation, the Sail Only if Scanned (S.O.S.) Act, in March.

The S.O.S. Act, H.R. 4899, calls for all shipping containers bound for the U.S. to be scanned for radiation and density at the port of origin. The bill also calls for every container to bear a tamper-proof seal that would notify U.S. authorities of a breach before the container entered American waters. The bill is supported by House Democratic Leadership, and constitutes of a major tenet of the newly unveiled Democratic Real Security Agenda.

full text: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny08_nadler/SOSCmtePass040506.html

Democratic Security Agenda
http://www.house.gov/nadler/realsecurity/realsecurity.html

(bold-emphasis mine)

[Dunvegan]

4. Ah...the port security/containers insecurity thing again.

Thank heavens we have the Department of Homeland Security (they of FEMA oversight...and that was SOME over-looking they did in NOLA) on the job for us via port security. :sarcasm: