here is some disturbing news from today's Boston Herald,..you guys remember Logan Airport in Boston?,..the same place where the 911 hijackers took off from,...
Logan hasn't learned post-9/11 lessons: Airport sweep uncovers lax security, nets 14 aliens
By O'Ryan Johnson
Saturday, March 26, 2005 - Updated: 07:42 AM EST
In what amounts to the largest security breach at Logan International Airport since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, more than a dozen illegal immigrants with unfettered access to the terminal - and possibly beyond - were arrested at the airport yesterday, according to a source and federal officials.
Relatives and loved ones of victims killed in 9/11 called the security lapse a ``disgrace.''
``They're putting everybody at risk,'' said Mary Bavis, the mother of Mark Bavis, who was on United Flight 175, one of two planes hijacked out of Logan and crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York. ``I just can't understand how that can happen. We're supposed to have so much more security.''
The 14 Brazilian nationals - 12 men and women, and two juveniles - worked as airport janitors for Hurley of America, a company with offices in Stoneham, officials said. One of the men was wanted on a fugitive warrant for evading deportation.
State police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested the aliens in a sweep early yesterday morning as part of an ongoing investigation by Homeland Security into an illegal worker scheme at Logan International Airport, said Jane Zuieback, spokeswoman for ICE.
In an arrangement with the airport, Hurley issued its own temporary security badges to employees, side-stepping checks on workers' documents and backgrounds, an immigration source said.
But Hurley disputes the claim, saying all of their workers showed documents to prove they are eligible for work, including Social Security cards, though they could not explain how they hired one man who had been ordered deported.
``I welcome them (ICE) to come look at our files,'' said Janet Walsh, director of human resources and labor relations at Hurley.
Hurley has roughly 140 janitors working at Logan. Walsh said the 14 with temporary badges arrested yesterday had all worked at the airport for between one and two weeks, and adhered to TSA rules that they not be out of sight of a worker with a permanent badge.
Investigators said just how much of the airport the cleaners had access to was unknown, though one law enforcement source said, ``Use your imagination,'' and did not rule out the possibility that the cleaners got as far as airport towers.
Zuieback said she did not know how the immigrants arrived in the United States. She said 13 of the group will face deportation hearings.
Zuieback said depending on what their investigation uncovers, charges could be lodged against Hurley for hiring the immigrants.
She said since 9/11 ICE has detained about 1,000 illegal immigrants who were working service jobs at airports nationwide, a sweep that also has seen 775 indictments against the companies who hired the workers.
``Hopefully, this will wake up a few people out there,'' said Rob Landrum, whose girlfriend, Betty Ann Ong, was killed on American Airlines Flight 11. ``We're still a far cry from where we need to be.''
