O’Hare Airport Security Badges Issued to Illegal Aliens

2009-10-04
By

The owner of a temporary employment agency and her assistant were sentenced in federal court Wednesday for harboring illegal aliens and assisting those workers in obtaining unauthorized access to secure areas at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, including the tarmac, according to a government report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

The sentences resulted from a multi-agency federal investigation conducted in 2007 and led by the Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mary Gurin, 38, of Carpentersville, Illinois, and Norinye Benitez, 26, of Franklin Park, Illinois, were sentenced on September 30 by U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo, Northern District of Illinois, for harboring illegal aliens for financial gain. Gurin, who pleaded guilty May 11 to the charge, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison. Benitez received 12 months and one day of imprisonment following her December 12, 2008 guilty plea.

According to documents filed in court, Gurin owned Ideal Staffing, a staffing agency located in Bensenville, Illinois, that contracted with several companies to provide temporary employees for work done in and around O’Hare.

Between February 2006 and November 2007, Gurin knowingly employed at least 54 illegal workers and arranged for them to fraudulently obtain airport security badges by falsely certifying information on the security badge application forms. The badges allowed the workers to enter secure areas while loading pallets, freight and meals for companies doing business at O’Hare, including some commercial airlines.

At times, Gurin also knowingly distributed airport security badges issued in other names to the illegal workers, which circumvented the appropriate security screening process and allowed illegal workers access to secure areas.

The 54 illegal workers from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador all faced state felony charges for possessing fraudulent identification in the form of an airport security badge. So far, authorities have recovered 34 fraudulent airport badges.

“These cases illustrate the need for ICE’s continued vigilance to protect our nation’s airports and other critical infrastructure,” said John Morton, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for ICE. “The defendants circumvented airport security and the screening process in the name of greed.”

According to court documents, Gurin supervised the work of Norinye Benitez, her office assistant. Under Gurin’s direction, Benitez assisted hiring between 35 and 40 illegal workers and fraudulently obtained airport security badges for them. Benitez admitted to falsifying information on employment forms for workers who did not have proper identification, and to knowingly hiring illegal workers who presented counterfeit documents. Benitez is herself an illegal alien and will be transferred to ICE custody after she completes her prison sentence.


Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he’s the former editor for the House Conservatives Fund’s weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.

To subscribe to Kouri’s newsletter write to COPmagazine@aol.com and write “Subscription” on the subject line.

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  • Brittancus

    Its likely there is going to be a nasty battle ahead over comprehensive immigration reform? My thought is that instead of starting from scratch, like the open border insane society is demanding we should fabricate amendments into the 1986 Simpson Mazzoli bill. First and foremost the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), was full of loopholes. Its main content was to legalize guest workers, whose labor was mostly spent in agriculture. The problem that once legalized, they vanished from the fields and orchards, taking jobs on Main Street, stealing jobs from Americans. The numbers of illegal aliens escalated, because the perforated borders and limited border patrol agents led to floods of more foreign nationals skirting our national border.

    Farmers, agriculturists and businesses had to seek more workers once again, so the borders remained intentionally open thanks to Democrats and Republicans. So instead of the estimated 3.5 newcomers the actual figure was more like 5 million, with more crossing the inept border incessantly. Most of the new entrants lied about their period of residency and produced utility bills and other bogus documentation, including fraudulent affidavits. So the prior (INS) Immigration & Naturalization Service couldn’t attempt to handle the overwhelming influx of illegal immigrants applying? Now President Osama and his Democratic happy faces want to swamp us yet again, with an estimated 20 plus illegal immigrants already squatting here? Even today the doors remain wide open, because the political parties under funded the real border fence, originally drafted by Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. His short 50 mile fence in San Diego, California is double tiered, with a no-mans-land between for border patrol vehicles to make their inspection tours.

    The fence that crosses America is–ONE STRAND BARRIER–and in many places doesn’t exist at all, except for ailing cameras, sensors and other vehicle barriers? Now if the powers in Washington had any brains, they could amend the (IRCA) law? First is agriculture that wants Guest Workers to pick fruit and vegetables, they must be issued a special visa limited to a specific time. They cannot work outside that boundary and must return to their country of residence after the document expires. If they want at some point in time to qualify for permanent legal status, they must apply like all new immigrants through their embassy. There fingerprints and other data should be recorded just in case they disappear from the workplace and placed on an arrest list by ICE.

    Other amendment to the (IRCA) law can be added, but the majority of public opinion demands no path to citizenship or BLANKET AMNESTY. Leave America and apply for an immigration entry visa like honest potential immigrants have for years? If you live in America previously without THE PEOPLES PERMISSION, you will be subject to fines, but not necessarily exempt from an entrance visa. Criminal aliens and anarchists obviously must remain–persona none gratis. A points system must be enacted similar to countries in Europe and even Australia. Points are observed for special highly skilled individuals, specialty engineers, scientists and computer specialists and other equally outstanding credentialed labor that has no equal in our nation.

    The deterrent for smuggling yourself and family members into a sovereign country, with no longer is a civil offense. Every business within the jurisdiction of these United States and its territories and islands will be instructed to install E-Verify permanently. A mandatory directive will include criminal penalties for not operating the E-Verification application in all employment. No working person shall be exempt including those who have been on payroll for twenty years or more. New immigrants cannot access any welfare or government subsidies, unless under emergency status. A new stage 2 E-Verify modified to check the persons right to health care, drivers licenses, car insurance, real estate including home purchase. E-Verify could also be adapted to vet a persons voting status in coming elections to halt violations of the law. Within the local Social Security administration those who have remained in limbo, can be verified for any number of irregularities.

    In time as E-Verify and its innovations are upgraded, with biometric and photo recognition improvements, the system will certainly pay for itself. Chances are in the coming months rogue politicians whose immigration grading can be viewed on NUMBERSUSA, will try to weaken or drop E-Verify for the favors they owe the US Chamber of Commerce and the nausating special interest groups? Just as they are accomplishing breaking down 287 G, police immigration questioning. ICE raids and other enforcement tools. As I have said before this is all about ECONOMICS. ITS about deteriorating infrastructure, its about the Census bureau stating that in the year 2050, the nation’s population is projected to increase by nearly 130 million people — the equivalent of adding another four states the size of California. Understand about this physical nightmare at CAPSWEB. In conclusion, there is much more information about the corruption in our political parties; not just immigration at the JUDICIAL WATCH site.

    A mandated law must be authored that renegade businesses who employ illegal entrants, must be held accountable for the huge bills that hospitals and taxpayers get stuck with?

    PAY ATTENTION to the fact that the present Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently endorsing San Francisco’s–Sanctuary City–Liberal/Socialist Mayor Gavin Newsom for the new Governor of the State. This would be an absolute atrocity to the legal communities, when Newsom allowed ID for illegal aliens and refused to put young illegal immigrant gang members in the hands of ICE? Indirectly the sanctuary policy that was indifferent to Federal law, was an accessory in the June 22 slaying’s of Anthony Bologna and his sons Michael and Matthew. There is already a mayor in Los Angeles who supports the illegal immigrant invasion, so you definitely don’t want Gavin Newsom giving bogus identification or welcoming millions more illegal families to extract subsidies from the already cash-strapped Californians.

    MY BLOGS ARE NOT COPYRIGHTED! COPY, PASTE AND DISTRIBUTE FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS!






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