More Victims Reporting Driver's License Scam

In April, Greg Lapore said he got a new drivers license in the mail, but the photo and name on the license was not his. The name on the license said Paulo Cruz-Rangel, although the address belonged to Lapore. Lapore said he does not know Cruz-Rangel. According to investigators, they are now learning about a new scam plaguing innocent residents in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. They said illegal immigrants are traveling from eight different states, selecting random Albuquerque addresses and filling out change of address forms, to get false residential documents and then obtain drivers licenses.

According to State Tax and Fraud investigator Alvan Romero, this scam can ruin a person financially. Originally, 24 victims were identified. Since the story aired on Action 7 News last week, more than a dozen victims have come forward. "We consider this a public service announcement. We want to get this out to everyone," said Romero. Luckily, Lapore intercepted the ID before a complete stranger got it. He called the post office and the MVD. "If somebody else would have had a valid drivers license with my address on it, who knows what kind of problems they would've caused," said Lapore.

Read more...

Four shot by border agents' gunfire at port of entry

Federal agents fired shots today as three vans apparently filled with illegal immigrants tried to run the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry near San Diego, California, and four people were injured. The port was closed shortly after the incident about 3:30 p.m., creating a massive rush-hour traffic jam on the Tijuana side as drivers were turned back into Mexico.

Preliminary reports indicate that an agent for the U.S. Border Patrol and a U.S. Immigrations and Customs agent fired their guns, said Angelica De Cima, a customs spokeswoman. De Cima said more than 70 people from the three vans were taken into custody. Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for ICE, said the incident was related to human smuggling.

Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said three people in the vans suffered life-threatening injuries. Two were taken to UCSD Medical Center and one was taken to Mercy Hospital. The fourth victim was taken to Mercy Hospital. That person was in a vehicle that got caught in the crossfire, Luque said. The injury was not life-threatening,

Read more...

Greece: Europe's illegal immigration hub

SAMOS, Greece (AP) — By day, this lush island set in the Aegean Sea offers a sanctuary to tourists seeking clear blue seas and immaculate beaches. After nightfall, a grimmer reality takes hold. Bodies sometimes wash ashore at daybreak. Human traffickers ply the waters off the coast. Patrol boats set off in pursuit of dinghies crammed with desperate migrants.

Greece's islands welcome millions of visitors every year, but they are also increasingly playing host to newcomers of a more unwelcome variety: undocumented laborers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In fact Greece's waters and mountains have become Europe's primary gateway for illegal immigration: Nearly half of European Union's illegal immigrants were detected at the nation's land or sea borders.

Greece says it detained more than 146,000 illegal immigrants in 2008, a 30 percent increase from the previous year and a 54 percent jump from 2006. Greece now has the highest number of illegal entries in the EU, followed by Italy and Spain, EU authorities say. On Samos alone, immigrants arrive at an average rate of 25 a day — a six-fold increase over the past two years — crossing by dinghy, jet-ski, or even swimming against fast sea currents.

• “Idyllic Greek islands become Europe's black hole for illegal immigration”, LA Times, 9/3/09.
• “Facilitated Illegal Immigration Into The European Union”, Europol, March 2008.
• “Fight against trafficking in human beings”, European Union official website.

Read more...