By Sara A. Carter and Audrey Hudson
October 17, 2007

A Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis crossed the U.S. border 76 times and took multiple domestic flights in the last year, according to Customs and Border Protection interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Times.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency was warned by health officials on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected, but it took the Homeland Security officials more than six weeks to issue a May 31 alert to warn its own border inspectors, according to Homeland Security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Homeland Security took one more week to tell its own Transportation Security Agency.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR) is a highly contagious illness and also resistant to the two most commonly used drugs to treat TB. It is the same dangerous strain of tuberculosis that concerned health officials when Andrew Speaker, a 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer, slipped into the U.S. from Europe via a flight to Canada.

A physician with the CDC says that they usually only notify flights that are eight hours or longer that passengers could have potentially been infected. But other physicians say the disease can be transmitted within minutes — especially in persons with lowered immunity — and recommend anyone coming in contact with this contagious illness seek medical attention.

The infected man identified as Amado Isidro Armendariz Amaya made at least one more trip across the U.S. border on May 21, where he applied for an I-94 visa to extend his stay in the U.S.

Roger Maier, spokesman with El Paso CBP, says the delay for issuing a "be on the lookout" (BOLO) alert to stop the man at the border was caused by the traveler's use of an alias.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/NATION/110170103/1001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-euwgvoh5SE

Below is a NumbersUSA letter people can send to Mitt Romney asking him to change his position on foreign worker visas.

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Dear Governor Romney,

As Republicans who support lowering overall levels of immigration, we are very disappointed in your string of recent comments supporting increases in foreign worker visas.

Your support for increasing H-2Bs will make it even harder for Americans to find full-time work at a livable wage, especially teenagers looking for summer work. According to a recent study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, the percentage of 16-to 19-year-olds holding jobs in the United States is the lowest it has been since the government began tracking statistics in 1948.

I don't want my next president to be easily fooled by the cheap labor lobby. Please get the facts, reconsider your position on foreign worker visas, and put Americans first.

Sincerely,

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This letter is available for me to send to Romney.  I will not send it.  I don't need to. My candidate does not waffle.

TANCREDO in '08

Ten Mexicans moved in next door to my 90 year old mother here in north Texas.  Of the ten, 2 are men and there is a woman with 7 kids (born in Texas).  Neither of the men is married to the woman and neither of the men are father to any of the kids.  The woman and kids speak English, the men do not.  The mother and kids are on Medicaid.

We have had to call the police more than a dozen times in the past year.  One call was at 1:00 A.M. on Christmas morning.  The calls ranged from vandalism, to disturbing the peace and load music (at any hour of the day or night), to trespassing.

 These two men work at a local manufacturing plant that employs about 250 people.  Many of those 250 are illegals.

We live in a very small town and the large influx of illegals has caused a strain on our school system and hospital.  The hospital has been struggling for years to keep the doors open.   A few years ago the hospital had to create a taxing district to make up for the shortfall in revenue.  Now, with the added burden of treating the illegals, the hospital may not survive.

The very nature and personality of the town has changed drastically.  Neighbors can not speak to neighbors.  There is a subculture of Mexicans that can not and will not participate in the everyday activities of life in this small town.

This is all the result of the President Bush's lack of concern for the citizens of this country that he is sworn to protect.

I, too, made the mistake of voting for him twice.  If I had only known then what I know now!