Not only has Obama set the stage for Islamic terrorists to
come to America as refugees, it appears the Obama Administration has allowed
the “Department of Homeland Security has given Somalis “community
engagement tours,” including security briefings, in secured areas at least
three major U.S. airports – Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Columbus, Ohio.”
JRH 12/18/16
*******************
Somalis Given Access to Sensitive Information
U.S. Customs, Homeland Security Records Reveal Somalis
Given Security Briefings, ‘Community Engagement Tours’ in Secured Areas at
Major U.S. Airports
Sent by ACT for America
Sent 12/17/16 6:09 AM
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today
released 31 pages of records from
U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealing that the Department of Homeland
Security has given Somalis “community
engagement tours,” including security briefings, in secured areas at least
three major U.S. airports – Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Columbus, Ohio.
The records came in response to a May 2016 Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request, which sought records, documents and
communications regarding a “Community Engagement Tour” in Minneapolis-St. Paul
Airport on February 18, 2016.
The briefings provided to the Somali groups were so
sensitive that in 14 instances the agency redacted portions of the records
under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemption (B)(7)(e), the
law-enforcement “risk circumvention” exemption, which reads:
Exemption 7(E) of the Freedom of
Information Act affords protection to all law enforcement information that
would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or
prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations
or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk
circumvention of the law.
In another instance, Customs and Border Protection exempted
under (B)(7)(e) a portion of a February 16, 2016, “Minute by Minute Agenda”
provided during a tour/briefing of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport (MSP). The material that was withheld from Judicial Watch as too
law-enforcement sensitive – but provided in full to the Somali group – included
a section entitled: “TSA Overview — Processing [Redacted].” The invitees
were provided briefings of the Global Entry system, APC [Automated Passport
Control] system, secondary screening procedures, baggage-screening procedures
and given tours of the holding cells/interview rooms.
Notes from the February Minneapolis St. Paul Airport tour
include: “Current CBP and TSA job vacancies were
discussed. Attendees responded with requests for DHS outreach efforts during
Somali community events to further advertise these positions to interested
individuals.”
The newly released records also reveal:
o
In addition to the
Minneapolis Airport tours/briefings given to Somalis during 2014 and 2015 –
and first revealed by Judicial Watch in August 2016 – tours of
U.S. airports and security briefings also have been provided to other groups at
airports in Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio:
“Once we agree on the dates we will select the time based on prayer schedules.
Another idea could be the roundtable to take place at the airport after the
tour. We have done that before in LA and Columbus and it worked well both
times”.
o
The timing of the
Minneapolis Airport tour given to a group of Somalis in February 2016 was scheduled between 6-8 pm because
it would “accommodate prayer times well”
o
During the “annual” tour,
federal authorities granted excursions of the facility’s “secure areas.” It is also noted
that two parties in the previous year “did not pass vetting.”
o
The invitation extended to
the Somalis for the Minneapolis Airport tour addressed them as “Dear
Colleague,” and promised “walking people through CBP’s process, walking people
through TSA’s process” and provide “a step-by-step tour of our
operations, designed to offer a greater understanding of airport processes and
procedures.”
Eight senior ranking Homeland Security and Customs officials
were tasked with accompanying and briefing the Somalis on the February 18,
2016, Minneapolis Airport tour, including the Minneapolis Area Port Director,
the Assistant Port Director, the Watch Commander, a Homeland Security Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties Senior Policy Advisor (flown in from Washington),
the TSA Federal Security Director and TSA Deputy Federal Security Director.
The documents show Customs officials reporting that one of
the invited individuals had given “CBP Chicago a hard time”
following the last tour and noted three of the invitees had had investigations
against them, which had since been closed. Another invitee had an active
investigation pending.
“Logically, information that is too sensitive to provide to
Judicial Watch and the public should not have been given to a ‘community
engagement tour,’” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The U.S.
government has been aware for years that Minnesota is a hotbed of Somali
terrorist-cell activity. The behind-the-scenes tours and security briefings of
the Minneapolis airport very well could have created a threat to public
safety.”
In August 2016, the Judicial Watch blog, Corruption
Chronicles, reported on the Muslim airport tour story: “The Obama
administration gave Somali Muslims behind-the-scenes tours at a major U.S.
airport after the group complained to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson
about feeling harassed and profiled, government records obtained
by Judicial Watch reveal. The special security tours not offered to any other
group occurred at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after
Department of Homeland Security roundtable meetings with local Somali leaders
to obtain feedback for ‘modifications to practices that would allow for
operations to be more culturally sensitive.’”
_______________________
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