SP-I - The art of passport fakery is alive and well. Investigator gets documents for dead man, boy.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The art of passport fakery is alive and well. Investigator gets documents for dead man, boy.


Saturday, March 14, 2009 · Last updated 3/13/2009 9:14 p.m. PT


By EILEEN SULLIVAN

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S. passports in a test of post- 9/11 security.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Criminals and terrorists place a high value on illegally obtained travel documents, U.S. intelligence officials have said. Currently, poorly faked passports are sold on the black market for $300, while top-notch fakes go for about $5,000, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations.

The State Department has known about this vulnerability for years. On Feb. 26, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary of passport services issued a memo to Passport Services directors across the country stating that the agency is reviewing its processes for issuing passports because of "recent events regarding several passport applications that were approved and issued in error."

In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Brenda Sprague said that in 2009 passport services would focus on the quality, not the quantity, of its passport issuance decisions. Typically, passport services officials are evaluated on how many passports they issue. Instead, Sprague said, the specialists should focus all their efforts on improving the integrity of the process, including "a renewed emphasis for Passport Specialists on recognizing authentic documents and fraud indicators on applications." "

TAR - Border passport deadline looming

From my archive of press clippings:

The Arizona Republic

Border passport deadline looming

by Dennis Wagner - Feb. 12, 2009 12:00 AM


The State Department is trying to prevent a public-relations mess, not to mention chaos at U.S. border checkpoints, by warning Americans that they won't be allowed to enter the country from Mexico after June 1 without a passport.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Those who are turned away will have to seek emergency documents through a U.S. consular office - a process that may take 24 hours or more.

During an Arizona tour this week, Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport services, said her office is prepared to handle an onslaught of up to 30 million applications as the deadline nears."

"The State Department issued a record 18.5 million passports in 2007. Despite the looming deadline,Sprague said the 2009 fiscal year is on track for only 12 million applications."

&

"The government approved the wallet-size cards as a cheap and convenient alternative to passport books. They may be used only by citizens returning to the United States through land or seaports from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Air travelers must carry full passports."