On Mon, 5 Nov 2007 09:04:10 -0700, "Seth Hammond"
mumbled:
Does anyone who knows have any comment?
http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/000911.html
In February I reported on the record $16.6 billion sent back to Mexico
from immigrants here in the U.S., a 24% increase from 2003. The latest
estimates show that this year those "remittances" as they call them,
are expected to top Mexico's oil industry as the number one form of
revenue for the country. This is all being fascilitated by bank in the
United States that refuse to enforce laws on the books regarding
reporting criminal and illegal transactions and instead would sell out
our country for a dollar.
Lou Dobbs (transcript March 21, 2005)
The Mexican citizens cross our border illegally. Some of them find
work, and many of them send their earnings back to Mexico. Those
earnings have added up to nearly $17 billion in the past year.
Remittances, as they're called, are expected to become Mexico's
primary source of income this year, surpassing the amount of money
that Mexico makes on oil exports for the first time ever.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Trade deficit with Mexico for the last year
surpassed $45 billion.
Hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are using bank accounts in
this country to send those remittances home, and many U.S. banks are
now aggressively helping illegal aliens open those accounts. Those
banks refer to the practice in the political correct vernacular as
banking the unbanked.
Christine Romans has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wells Fargo is
opening 700 new accounts every day for illegal aliens. Since November
2001, it's helped more than half a million people to, as it says, come
out from the shadows.
LILIANA SALAS-GRIP, WELLS FARGO: We are not if the business of
immigration. We don't question any customer, Latin, American, or any
other customer that comes into our financial institution in their
legal or illegal status.
And our responsibility as a financial services company is to make sure
that all our products and services are available for all customers
that come in.
ROMANS: It began with Wells Fargo working closely with the Mexican
government. But now almost 200 U.S. banks accept the Mexican I.D.
card, the matricula consular, as I.D.
MATT HAYES, FRIENDS OF IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT: On the one hand
you have the Border Patrol, whose job it is to intercept illegal
aliens as they enter the country. And on the other hand you have the
Treasury Department, which is encouraging exactly those illegal aliens
if they're able to evade the Border Patrol, to open a bank account
once they're here.
ROMANS: Indeed, a senior official said, "It is the policy of the
United States that we want people in the formal financial system. It
is good for the economy and good for our ability to enforce our laws."
But it is clear the U.S. government is, in fact, making it easier to
break U.S. immigration laws. Despite the protests of the IRS and
anti-terrorism agencies, the Department of Treasury last year allowed
banks to accept the matricula consular and to use tax I.D. numbers to
open accounts for illegal aliens.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is encouraging banks to sign
up illegal aliens in the banking system, calling the growth of the
market "a compelling incentive for U.S. banks to enter this largely
untapped market." And the FDIC program demonstrates that unbanked
Latin American immigrants can be brought into the financial
mainstream.
But there are clear laws on the books for the integrity of the
immigration system. United States criminal code, "It is a crime
punishable by 10 years in jail for aiding and abetting someone in this
country illegally for commercial gain." And the Bank Secrecy Act of
1972 makes it clear banks must know their customer, and any illegal
activity must be reported to the government.
Banks and federal regulators all say enforcing immigration laws not
their problem. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it focusing on
networks smuggling illegal aliens, not the aliens themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: So once an illegal alien is in this country, it's now the
policy of the U.S. government to get them integrated into legitimate
daily life. Terrorism experts say it's not safe. Legal immigrants say
it's just not fair.
DOBBS: And it's utter madness. I mean, this is Orwellian, the
suggestion by the FDIC that this is tapping into a market that's
important and describing this as -- I mean, this is incomprehensible,
Christine.
ROMANS: And every one of these agencies says, "We recognize the fact
that the laws are important, but it's not our job. We are just dealing
with reality."
DOBBS: The fact that the spokeswoman for Wells Fargo could -- and we
should not just simply say -- this is about 200 U.S. banks -- saying
that it's not their jobs to enforce immigration laws or to follow
other laws, the 9/11 Commission recommendation on identification, the
FBI saying clearly, unequivocally that the matricula consular should
not be accepted, nor should tax I.D. numbers be accepted as
identification. And the banker has the temerity to say it's not their
job to be good corporate citizens, not to exercise corporate
responsibility, it's just their job to grow the business?
ROMANS: And the Treasury Department says it's very important that the
banks take responsibility for knowing who their customer is and
they're going to trust the banks that they do.
DOBBS: It sort of leaves one wondering what in the world are we
thinking about in this country. Christine, thank you. Christine
Romans.
I'm starting to wonder if any of the recommendations from the 9/11
commission regarding immigration and identification are going to be
implemented. Time and time again, from border patrol recommendations
to identification requirements, they are being ignored. It's only a
matter of time before this will bite us in the ass.