US Naturalized Citizen arrested in LA Airport

desihai said:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/05/airport.arrests.ap/index.html

US Naturalized Citizen and Chinese National arrested, I guess these are the cases that set precedent and trigger namechecks on unsuspecting individuals and suspicions by USCIS.
I wonder why people do this.
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Espionage, with money thrown in to make things move quicker, is what this is. Such incidents make USCIS/FBI scrutinize immigrants carefully - and rightly so - even though most immigrants are innocent, and end up suffering.

It has been very well established that similar espionage over the past few decades has been the primary factor behind the technological 'advancement' of China and a few other countries. Let's face it: virtually all inventions and discoveries of new technologies occur in the western world. I'm drifting now, but talk to anyone in the research community if you have any doubts. We should not blame the US for protecting its intellectual property, which is what makes this country so great. (Please don't tell me that immigrants have contributed to US technology, because doing so does not give them the right to commit espionage for their native lands!)

OY
 
What causes someone to participate in espionage? Money would definitely be one likely possibility, then there is idealism/extremism, and instances where the foreign power has exerted some hold over you. e.g. family ties.
 
crap... this will affect how USCIS treat immigrants/ applicants like us ??? Psychologically, USCIS officers will be more inclined to think of us as negative then... the actions of few resulted in negative generalization of all immigrants.... *sigh*...
 
C'mon, guys, don't let your imagination go wild. This guy is nothing but amateur. If Chinese Gov would need to buy something like this they'll find more reliable source then LA airport, diplomatic mail perhaps. And if US Gov will consider this as military technology they won't be able to buy it. This story, most probably, might be related to industrial espionage since Chinese Gov don't honor intellectual right. Busted guy definitely had plan to sell it to third party for reverse engineering. Such incidents may not affect Name Check at all.
 
I just want to remind people that espionage happens both with immigrants and with natural born citizens. Same thing with terrorism. Lest not forget Robert Hanssen or Timothy McVeigh as examples of real homegrown spy and terrorist. We of all should not fall in the trap that because a few immigrants do bad things, all immigrants should be scrutinized much more than the common population.

For the other questions I am sure that intelligence agencies are experts on bringing people aboard with a mix of patriotism, grievance, money, threats, whatever it works. If you have access to valuable information chances are somebody is going to get it from you, with or without your collaboration.

Furthermore, the media helps on keeping the spotlight more focused and brighter on immigrant cases than in American cases. The guy (white American for all I know) who almost died of ricin he was making and keeping in his motel. The media bent backwards to try to say that wasn't terrorism related. If it had been a muslim with the same ricin it would probably be reported very differently. Please allow me to quote something from the media about this case:
"Officials have said they've found no contamination anywhere, and no link to terrorism in the discovery of the exotic toxin, which can be lethal in amounts the size of the head of a pin. Ricin has no antidote and is legal only for cancer research."

I think there is strong bias against immigrants in media and in society and we should do all in our power to show that immigrants as a whole are very law abiding people who contribute very positively to society. There are bad apples, but their amount compared with the larger population is probably of a lower percentage.
 
Huracan said:
I just want to remind people that espionage happens both with immigrants and with natural born citizens. Same thing with terrorism. Lest not forget Robert Hanssen or Timothy McVeigh as examples of real homegrown spy and terrorist. We of all should not fall in the trap that because a few immigrants do bad things, all immigrants should be scrutinized much more than the common population.

For the other questions I am sure that intelligence agencies are experts on bringing people aboard with a mix of patriotism, grievance, money, threats, whatever it works. If you have access to valuable information chances are somebody is going to get it from you, with or without your collaboration.

Furthermore, the media helps on keeping the spotlight more focused and brighter on immigrant cases than in American cases. The guy (white American for all I know) who almost died of ricin he was making and keeping in his motel. The media bent backwards to try to say that wasn't terrorism related. If it had been a muslim with the same ricin it would probably be reported very differently. Please allow me to quote something from the media about this case:
"Officials have said they've found no contamination anywhere, and no link to terrorism in the discovery of the exotic toxin, which can be lethal in amounts the size of the head of a pin. Ricin has no antidote and is legal only for cancer research."

I think there is strong bias against immigrants in media and in society and we should do all in our power to show that immigrants as a whole are very law abiding people who contribute very positively to society. There are bad apples, but their amount compared with the larger population is probably of a lower percentage.
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Huracan
AGREEE with you... most of us, immigrants like myself, are trying to be law-abiding citizens and follow the rules... we even follow USCIS rules for YEARSSS... that's not enough to prove our dedication I guess...
 
I have dealt with these thermal imaging cameras and know there is a very strict export control on these. I used these in Australia and know we would get a list of countries where it could be taken to. Russia, China and India ofcourse were not in the list. I personally think the Chinese American was out to make some quick money. The Chinese government does need amateurs to carry 5 cameras in a single box as baggage!

That said, more politicians will have less sympathy for those caught up in name check delays.

I have also noted that people from some countries are very nationalistic and still use the term "my people", my country etc even after naturalization and they invariably refer to their country of birth. Typically these are the people who would not hesitate to do something for their home country. So in that respect FBI profiling people based on country of birth would not be out of order.
 
brb2 said:
I have dealt with these thermal imaging cameras and know there is a very strict export control on these. I used these in Australia and know we would get a list of countries where it could be taken to. Russia, China and India ofcourse were not in the list. I personally think the Chinese American was out to make some quick money. The Chinese government does need amateurs to carry 5 cameras in a single box as baggage!
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None of us here know who these gentlemen are, so we are all speculating. I am sure money changed hands, but fanaticism or nationalism are usually the primary drivers. Money just makes the operation sweeter and loosens up any inhibitions. These two gentlemen are not necessarily amateurs. Remember, not all spies get high quality training. Let the feds find out the truth.

Some spies have even committed amateurish mistakes. Take for example (well reported case) the Russian spy who was found loitering around the State Dept building so often, that it aroused the suspicion of people and he was caught. He was a regular Russian govt spy - not an amateur or a money chaser by any means! I am sure he was well-trained, but obviously used poor judgement.

That said, more politicians will have less sympathy for those caught up in name check delays.

I have also noted that people from some countries are very nationalistic and still use the term "my people", my country etc even after naturalization and they invariably refer to their country of birth. Typically these are the people who would not hesitate to do something for their home country. So in that respect FBI profiling people based on country of birth would not be out of order.
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A very accurate assessment.


OY
 
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a blackmarket of all kinds of sensitive equipment being illegally exported every day to foreign countries for military use.
 
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Bobsmyth said:
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a blackmarket of all kinds of sensitive equipment being illegally exported every day to foreign countries for military use.
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Ever see the movie "Lord of War"? If you haven't, I highly suggest checking it out. It deals with the weapons black market, and how the government subsidizes it.
 
More likely than not! It is always the innocent people who are caught up in this. Blind profling only obfuscates the issue.
Vorpal said:
It also just happens that he's Russian! I wonder if he's a former name check victim? :D
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brb2 said:
More likely than not! It is always the innocent people who are caught up in this. Blind profling only obfuscates the issue.
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Agreed 100%. I've yet to hear any stories about criminals and/or terrorists being captured as a result of the name check procedure.
 
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