A Message From The Government About Terrorism and the Holiday...

WASHINGTON – Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are advising shoppers this holiday season to be aware of online scams that would have consumers purchase counterfeit goods instead of genuine products.

Counterfeit electronics that overheat due to improper manufacture, fake bicycle helmets that break upon impact and phony cosmetics that lead to skin ailments are just a few examples of knock-off items sold online that present a serious health and safety risk. Seasonal items like holiday lights can also be counterfeit, poorly wired and ignite fires.

“Tablets, sporting goods and beauty products are popular holiday gift items, but they’re also commonly counterfeited and sold to unsuspecting consumers,” said National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) Director Bruce Foucart. “It’s important that the American public is aware of these online schemes so they can shop smartly, protect their finances and stay safe.”

Shoppers can protect themselves year-round by knowing how to identify copyright infringing websites, by exercising due diligence when purchasing items from independent sellers on e-commerce sites and by using caution when buying merchandise through social media platforms. Consumers should also avoid clicking on suspicious advertisements either emailed directly or found while searching the Internet. Key signs that a website may be peddling counterfeit goods include:

• All the products listed are on sale or offered at extremely low prices.
• The website does not have proper contact information.
• The product is not shipping from within the United States.
• The buyer is redirected to an external online payment system during checkout.

Shoppers who purchased products online that were unusually packaged, missing approval stickers from independent safety organizations or stitched poorly with faded colors and misspelled words may have inadvertently bought counterfeit goods. They are advised to review return policies, and contact the website for more information. If returning the item is not an option, then contact your bank to see if they offer any type of fraud protection, and report the crime through the ICE Tip Line 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

"CBP is working diligently to stop the flow of counterfeit and pirated goods,” said Michael Walsh, the Director of Customs and Border Protection's IPR Policy and Programs Division. “We ask that shoppers be wary and do their homework. Counterfeit and pirated goods are poor quality, harm legitimate businesses, and can pose health and safety risks to U.S. consumers."

The IPR Center is one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Working in close coordination with the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 23 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public's health and safety and the U.S. economy.

Editor's note:  We can't have a great America if we don't protect the businesses which have been the cornerstone to our way of life.  Everyone likes a great deal, but someone always comes out on the short end when things are fake.  In fact, if the deal is too good to be true, it is probably not such a great deal at all!  

At Un Dia Sin Fronteras, we work hard to advocate for fair treatment of all people.  That shoe has to fit on both feet.  We ask for fair treatment of immigrants, for example.  But we also advocate that the treatment is fair in both directions.

We wish each of you a safe and happy holiday!

ICE Agents Bust Coke Ring, But No Immigrants

While most people believe ICE is only interested in immigrants, most people would be wrong.  ICE, as a department of Homeland Security, is interested in the safe keeping of all America.  That includes drug rings selling cocaine to citizens.

According to the Daily Herald, Randy Lynch, a businessman from Hollister, North Carolina, was arrested for drug trafficking.  Lynch is the owner of a salvage business as well as a bar-b-q business in Hollister.

During the raid, carried out by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and the Vance County Sheriff's Office in cooperation with ICE, Lynch's businesses and home were searched.  These included Lynch's Bar-B-Q and Grill and Lynch's Salvage.  The latter business is located in Warren County.

Lynch is accused of trafficking 7 kilograms of cocaine which amount to about 15 pounds of addictive substance.  Lynch is being held on 1 million dollars bond while his case winds through the legal system.  All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.  However, Lynch has reportedly been on law enforcement radar for some time, according to the Herald.

Many people wish ICE would spend more time going after drug dealers and less time chasing poor people.  Drug dealers represent a significant threat to the youth of the nation.  Other countries say, if the U.S. could reduce demand, illicit industries in central and South America would dry up.

ICE Chases Drunk Drivers In National Raid

Reuters/Joshua Lott

ICE continues to deport a near record number of undocumented immigrants.  Amongst them are some of the people who have caused lots of problems in the U.S.  Those include drug dealers, child pornographers, drunk drivers, drug abusers and dealers and gang members.

Monday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the results of a nation-wide sweep collecting immigrants in the problem category.  More than 2,000 people were arrested in a 5 day sweep in operation "cross check".

While ICE likes to shine the spotlight on serious offenders, only slightly more than 50% of their nation-wide sweep netted "serious" offenders.  The rest of the unlucky 2,000 immigrants who got caught in the sweep, nearly half, may have had no offense at all, or only minor offenses.

It does not take much to get on the "serious offender" list, including being convicted of a DUI or mere possession of a controlled substance not involved in "dealing".  If this is what ICE considers a serious offender, including 991 of the 2,000 people ICE picked up in it's raid, then it is clearly targeting the wrong people.

It is the arresting of the completely innocent immigrant in these nation-wide man hunts which troubles activists the most.  ICE is perfectly happy to arrest any immigrant they come across while looking for the "serious offender", and in their "knock and talks" despite knowing the President has prioritized enforcement efforts.  To justify it's knock in the wee hours of the morning, ICE releases propaganda claiming to arrest the "worst of the worst" when the majority of the people they arrested had misdemeanor DUI changes.

ICE makes no distinction how long ago an offense occurred.  People with 30 year old DUI charges are hardly a risk to U.S. society, as the passage of time and a clean record since their conviction shows they are rehabilitated and no risk to citizens.  More recent offenders are under court ordered rehabilitation programs.  Their arrest removes them from the supervision of the court and may be robbing them of the opportunity to resolve their addictions.

Some wonder who is better to manage serious criminals: the U.S. or a third world country?  When ICE dumps immigrants into the hands of gangs in central locations, like Ciudad Juarez, then it is destabilizing those nations.  These "dangerous" people are now on the loose, free to offend, when they would have been better managed by the U.S. justice system.  Offending from afar is much easier these days with the Internet, especially for child predators.  Dumping serious gang members into the hands of cartel members just increases the working rants of drug cartels.

The targeting of drunk drivers is also troubling.  Most of these drivers have gone through or are in court ordered rehabilitation programs that last a year or more.  The solution to alcoholism is not deportation.  Alcoholism and drug addiction are better solved from the social scientists rehabilitation point of view combined with a strict dose of the criminal justice system to help people find a solution to their addictions.  Catching and removing people from these rehabilitative processes degrades the effectiveness of court ordered rehabilitation.  

The prospect behind homeland security is to make America safer and stronger.  National raids targeting "serious" criminals, but catching mostly D.U.I. offenders and innocent immigrants, is not a step towards making America stronger.  Pulling people out of their rehabilitation support systems and dropping them in high crime recruitment areas does not protect national security or make the world a safer place.  Sending the true hard criminal to a third world where they can offend with impunity, likewise does not make any country safer.  The U.S. is the best place for them as we manage to institutionalize more people per capita than any other nation.  

ICE has a vital role to play in the security of our nation.  Their efforts stopping sex tourism and sex trafficking are nothing short of noble.  They protect the copyright of private industry.  They help prevent terrorist attacks.  Yet their praying on everyday common immigrants who have done nothing more than drink and drive, and mostly nothing at all, is destabilizing other countries, dividing families and making America an unsafe place to live.  It is also directing the precious resources of a national law enforcement agency towards chasing drunk drivers rather than chasing threats to national security.

Border Communities Urge Obama Use Restraint With Border Patrol

From Resist the tyranny.com

In using the President's executive power to help immigrants, border communities ask the President to use restraint, in not linking immigrants with increased militarization of the border, says the Southern Border Communities Coalition, with member organizations in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

In a letter addressed to the President, the communities said, "CBP urgently needs a surge in accountability and oversight, not increased Border Patrol personnel or war equipment".

The border communities say it is unwise to add resources to the Border Patrol without adding accountability in the use of force.  The organization says the Border Patrol has experienced unprecedented growth, now being the largest law enforcement agency in America.  The growth was too fast, and some agents lack accountability and oversight.

"Irrational, unsupervised growth made CBP the nation’s largest police force without
building up its integrity and professionalism to match"

Sources say President will announce the administrative deferral of some immigrants who meet stringent conditions, including a minimum of 5 continuous years in the U.S., no criminal record and other high standards.  The process will come at a price, the money added to the U.S. treasury.

The President is also expected to announce tougher measures on the border.  It is this announcement, tied to the decision to grant administrative relief, that border communities object to.  

U.S. Authorities Fight Cross Border Drug Cash

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),  in close coordination with its Mexican counterpart, the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF), today announced a series of reporting initiatives designed to greatly improve the transparency of cross-border cash movements. To address U.S. and Mexican  law enforcement’s concerns about potential misuse of exemptions and incomplete or inaccurate reports filed by armored car services (ACS) and other common carriers of currency, FinCEN has issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) that requires enhanced cash reporting by these businesses at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry in California. FinCEN also issued updated guidance concerning detailed and proper filing of Currency and Monetary Instruments Reports (CMIRs), which are filed when $10,000 or more in currency is moved across the U.S. border.

“Drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises thrive when their cash govements are hidden from view,” said FinCEN Director Jennifer Shasky Calvery. “FinCEN is committed to working closely with our Mexican counterparts, law enforcement, and industry partners to bring greater transparency along our border and safeguarding the integrity of our financial systems.”

“The actions taken by FinCEN address an important issue that was identified jointly by U.S   and Mexican authorities and has our support,” said UIF Director Alberto Bazbaz Sacal.  Mexico and the United States will continue to further improve our fight against money laundering with this and other measures.”

“As part of HSI’s broader strategy to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and seize their illicit proceeds, we are actively targeting and identifying organizations that work to move money across the southwest border ports of entry,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Peter Edge. “We believe the Geographic Targeting Order is an invaluable tool toward achieving these goals. As such, we will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement and private industry to identify and shut down vulnerabilities susceptible to exploitation.” 

In 2010, Mexico enacted new anti-money laundering (AML) provisions to attack the flow of illicit cash from the United States to Mexico. These efforts made it much more difficult for criminals and narco-traffickers to place large amounts of cash in Mexican financial institutions and resulted in an increase in cash coming back to the United States from Mexico, via ACS or couriers, for attempted placement in U.S. financial institutions. Law enforcement information and BSA data analysis suggest that much of this cash movement is not properly reported on a CMIR and therefore not made available in the FinCEN database for the benefit of investigators and analysts following illicit money trails.

The Director of FinCEN is authorized to issue a GTO requiring any domestic financial institution, or certain other trade or business groups, in a geographic area to obtain and report desired information. In this case, the order requires more detailed information to be reported on cash movements. A GTO is a particularly powerful and appropriate tool to narrowly address risks in certain regions without more broadly affecting commerce or business routines. FinCEN has worked in close coordination with law enforcement on this GTO, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

Today’s announcement is directed in part to the Chief Executive Officers of ACS and other common carriers of currency to alert them to their obligations under the Order and to aid them in understanding and complying with it. If you believe your business may be affected by the Order, please contact the FinCEN Resource Center by calling 1-800-767-2825 or (703) 905-3591 or by emailing your inquiry to FRC@fincen.gov to obtain additional information. Inquiries from the press should be directed to Office of Public Affairs at (703) 905-3770

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FinCEN’s mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money

laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of

financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.

Senator Michael Bennet Extends Welcome To New Citizens

Fort Carson, CO – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet welcomed a group of 13 soldiers and family members of soldiers as they became American citizens during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization ceremony held at Fort Carson. 

The new American citizens hail from all over the world including Colombia, Haiti, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, China, Philippines, South Korea, Togo, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

“These individuals have bravely served and sacrificed for this country.  It is a special and exciting moment to see them as they become a part of the fabric of this great nation,” Bennet said. “We are a nation of immigrants, and these ceremonies remind us of the important contributions immigrants make to our communities.”

“It is also a reminder that we have to continue working to fix our broken immigration system to ensure that we are welcoming the best and brightest into America and that we make it possible for other immigrants to share in this momentous experience.”

As a member of the “gang of 8” that co-authored the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last year, Bennet has been actively involved in crafting immigration policy and working to fix our broken system.  In Colorado, he brought farmers, ranchers, law enforcement agencies, faith leaders, and Latino advocates together to craft a set of principles called the Colorado Compact.  The Compact helped inform work in the “gang of 8.”

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon foreign citizens or nationals after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress. After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights, and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote.

Naturalization for military members and their families is expedited.  Over the last decade, roughly 93,000 members of the armed forces have become U.S. citizens.  Unfortunately, the Valenzuela Brothers, from Colorado, who fought in the Viet Nam war have been unable to naturalize.  The current law refuses to over-look the contribution veterans have made to the country in relationship to their record after leaving the service.  Many Viet Nam veterans, for example, were severely traumatized by the insanity of in-theater fighting.  After returning home, they fell astray of the law.   The current law makes little exception for immigrant soldiers.

Meanwhile, President Obama continues his record of deportations far exceeding the Bush/Cheney numbers.  Latinos are unhappy with the President for his refusal to sign an executive order halting deportations in lieu of his inability to bring lawmakers together on immigration reform.  Even some Latino leaders disagree on the executive order.  If left as the status quo, it would leave immigrants in a never-ending second- class-citizen limbo in which they never have a say in the government that controls them, while always being subject to loss of status each time a president takes office.  An executive order would at least stop the dismantling of families.

Republican lawmakers are pushing for a piecemeal solution to immigration which will increase immigrants in the high tech sector, presumably lowering the cost of labor.  They blame the Democrats for holding piecemeal measures up in the U.S. House of Representatives pending a vote on the entire immigration package.  However, a few House Republicans are holding up a harsh, re-written, version of of the U.S. Senate bill which would likely pass if key Republicans would allow it.  Hence, Republicans might do better to point fingers at their own party leadership for the failure to vote on an immigration package which will identify most people in the country, thus making America more secure.