FederalDaily - January 23, 2007
ICE Arrests Illegal Aliens Working at Three Bases
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 19 announced it had arrested dozens of illegal aliens
in Nevada, Virginia and Georgia in connection with work being done by contractors at three military
installations. Two men face charges of harboring illegal aliens, and several aliens face charges for
possession of fraudulent identity documents and re-entering the country after deportation. ICE agents
and Nellis Air Force Base security officers arrested two illegal aliens working at Creech AFB in Indian
Springs, Nev., including a Nicaragua national who the agency said is a member of the MS-13 criminal
gang. In Dumfries, Va., ICE agents arrested two men suspected of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens
to work at nearby Quantico Marine Base. Fourteen undocumented workers were arrested in Virginia—three
at Quantico, three in Fredericksburg and eight in Dumfries. In Georgia, 21 illegal aliens who tried
to enter Fort Benning face federal charges in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
for identity theft and immigration violations. They were among 24 contract workers arrested by ICE
agents and Army security as they tried to enter the post to build a barracks. For more, go to: www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070119Washington.htm.
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GAO: FEMA Must Improve Management of Resources
Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has experienced near-constant organizational
change over the past four years, the way FEMA has managed its existing resources compounded problems,
says a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. In a report dated Jan. 19, GAO looked at
resource trends and management related to FEMA’s day-to-day operations from Fiscal Year 2001
through Fiscal Year 2005. Notably, FEMA lacks a strategic workforce plan and related strategies—such
as succession planning—which are integral to managing resources, the report said. “FEMA
also lacks business continuity plans for its day-to-day operations, which puts support for the disaster-relief
mission at increased risk,” the report said. “Even FEMA staff’s strong sense of mission
is no substitute for a plan and strategies for action.” GAO recommended FEMA take steps to better
manage resources for its day-to-day operations—including collecting data that enables managers
to monitor progress—and develop business continuity plans. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-139
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NATCA: FAA Managers Caused Errors at Control Tower
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said mismanagement over the past three months
by Federal Aviation Administration managers has led to a spike in errors at the Charleston, S.C., air
control tower. Since Oct. 1, the tower has recorded six errors, including one committed by an FAA supervisor,
NATCA said Jan. 19. Three others occurred when an uncertified supervisor stood watch, according to
NATCA. The group said poor management is also stretching controller staffing resources, often resulting
in too few controllers on certain shifts. Uncertified supervisors have stood watch over controllers
and also worked the flight data position, which is responsible for disseminating weather information
to controllers so they can relay it to pilots, NATCA said. The position is normally staffed by a fully
certified controller, said Rick O’Hara, the Charleston Tower facility representative for NATCA. “These
uncertified supervisors, brought in from other facilities such as Charlotte and Myrtle Beach, do not
have the local knowledge to make safe decisions regarding how to staff the facility,” said NATCA
Southern Region Vice President Victor Santore. To see more, go to: www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=407
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