[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2270-E2271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OPERATION: EASTERN STAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 1998

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, as a former employee of the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service (INS), I am proud to rise today to honor the 
outstanding performance of the El Paso INS Investigations Team and 
their investigation, Operation: Eastern Star, which dismantled a global 
smuggling network. The El

[[Page E2271]]

Paso INS Investigations Team, headed up by Assistant District Director 
Roberto S. Saenz, is receiving the INS Commissioner's Meritorious 
Service Award on October 26, 1998 at the Commissioner's Conference in 
Denver, Colorado. I would also like to recognize the outstanding 
leadership of District Director Luis Garcia and the superb job he has 
done in El Paso.
  In addition to Assistant District Director Saenz, the following 
members of the El Paso team deserve special recognition: Special Agent 
Jeffrey Roberts; Special Agent Hector Valencia; Supervisory Deportation 
Officer Qasem M. Al-Ali; Immigration Inspector Ahmed Adil Abdallat; and 
Supervisory Special Agent Clyde McKenzie. This team brought down a 
smuggling ring responsible for bringing hundreds of illegal aliens from 
nations that are state sponsors of international terrorism and each of 
these men should be applauded.
  It is difficult to account for all of the accomplishments of 
Operation: Eastern Star. However, on every level it was a tremendous 
success. I believe the manner in which this operation was planned and 
executed speaks volumes about the professionalism and dedication of the 
agents involved. Primarily, as a result of this investigation, the El 
Paso District Office for Investigations focused attention not only on 
the existence and magnitude of Middle Eastern smuggling organizations, 
but also on their potential threat to the national security of our 
nation. In light of growing tensions and activities in the Middle East, 
Operation: Eastern Star brought attention to the INS's ability to 
participate in international operations aimed at protecting the United 
States from foreign threats.
  As a result of this investigation, Operation: Eastern Star was able 
to establish excellent liaison on a District level with federal 
agencies focused on National Security issues. Operation: Eastern Star 
was called upon by several United States federal agencies, as well as 
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, for its expertise and ability to 
communicate with the nationalities involved. El Paso District agents 
continue to be utilized by these agencies, as well as other INS 
Districts and Sectors, in an effort to further enhance cooperative law 
enforcement efforts worldwide. This effort was responsible in part for 
the identification of over fifteen major smugglers trafficking in 
Middle Eastern nationalists from their home countries through Asia, and 
Central and South America.
  The ultimate goal of Operation: Eastern Star, however, was 
accomplished through its successful dismantling of a Global Alien 
Smuggling Organization, preventing its members from further activity. 
Perhaps the most fulfilling achievement was the successful apprehension 
and prosecution of renowned alien smuggler Geroge Tajirian, who has 
eluded United States authorities for over twenty years. He was 
sentenced to a mandatory thirteen years in federal prison, thus ending 
his estimated earnings of more than $3 million each year. Compare this 
staggering amount to the less than $95,000 cost to the U.S. taxpayers 
for this operation. The small team of highly trained El Paso INS 
Special Agents managed to arrest Tajirian in Panama with the invaluable 
assistance of the State Department and the Department of Justice Office 
of International Affairs. The team of agents used their investigative 
experience and fluency in multiple languages to infiltrate this highly 
sophisticated network within one year. Tajirian's arrest led to other 
arrests to include three members of the Palestine Liberation 
Organization (PLO) and a citizen of Yemen who is wanted for genocide in 
his home country.
  We all owe these agents a word of thanks and our deepest gratitude 
for a job well done. All too often, we only hear about the job of our 
law enforcement community when something goes terribly wrong. I am glad 
to stand here today and celebrate a job well done by the El Paso INS 
Investigations Team.

                          ____________________