O’Hare Airport Security Breach - Over 100 Fake Security Badges, 23 Arrested
The National Terror Alert Response Center ^ | November 8, 2007 | "national"

Federal and local law enforcement agents raided several warehouses Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport and arrested 24 workers who were allegedly in the country illegally and using phony security badges for jobs on the tarmac, cargo areas and other restricted zones.

Also arrested Wednesday in a probe federal authorities said “identified national security vulnerabilities” were two company managers at Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., a temporary employment agency in Bensenville. The firm allegedly hired the workers and provided them with deactivated airport security badges that allowed them to work at O’Hare, immigration officials said. Ideal Staffing managers also knowingly allowed workers to lie about their identities on airport security applications, officials alleged. They said they’re still investigating whether there are more related security risks at the airport.

One report indicates more than 100 workers at have been found with fake security passes.

Authorities said 110 of the badges issued to a contracting company did not match their owners.

Of those arrested, 21 are from Mexico and two from Guatemala, the Associated Press new agency reported.

The case concerns workers employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, which contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas.

Applications for the 110 fake badges used social security numbers that did not exist or belonged to other people, some of them dead.

One worker is said to have told investigators he was asked to rummage through a box of about 20 airport security passes and pick one with a picture that looked like him.

MSNBC has more from their investigation.

“The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice,” said Elissa A. Brown, special agent in charge for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of investigations in Chicago.

Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, were arrested and charged in separate federal complaints with one count of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and one count of misuse of Social Security numbers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys office.