Wednesday, February 04, 2009

another desperate attempts

so last night, i watched homeland security again. my eyes were all on TV, never did I leave even during commercial breaks. I would not want to miss any detail of the show. That's how much I like the show. I can feel thrill, challenge, fun, and seriousness at the same time.

Here are a few of the real-life situations that were shown last night:

1. Puerto Rico is already a US island territory so once you step there, you're already in US, though it's not part of the mainland. 93 Dominicans were spotted on a sinking boat by a high-tech manless plane that has high-end microscopes connected to the Customs and Border Patrol on land. They were headed towards Puerto Rico, hoping they'd get a better life. On their way, winds were strong and waves were angry. Their lives were at risk. US Coast Guard and Customs collaborated to save those 93 people. They sent a bigger boat in the middle of the night and off they headed back to Dominican Republic to return the hopeful illegal migrants. There were mothers and father, young men and women,and teenagers on that sinking boat. Already safe, a few people were interviewed and they said that looking for a better life and future is what pushed them to go to Puerto Rico. They wanted to leave Dominican Republic because there are no jobs there, no future, no improvement. I could empathize with these people.Sigh*

The US Coast Guard learned that the leader of their illegal adventure to Puerto Rico is the man whom they have been looking for since 1998 because of human smuggling, big-time smuggler he is. After arriving in Dominican Republic, ten of the 93 passengers, including that big-time smuggler, were sent back to US for federal punishment because of their criminal records. They're now detained.

2. In Miami airport, while passengers were getting their things from the luggage area, the airport alarm sounded off. All TSA people, Border agents, and other security officials were alarmed and shooed all the passengers to leave the area. A certain travel bag was suspicious. It was the cause of the alarm. They found it and all of them were anxious what's in it. They called a Drugs and Narcotics representative and another who's trained in Explosives. They would not open the bag until those who are called would arrived. Everybody was nervous. They're all serious. What could be in the bag? It could not be something light because the airport alarm went off. They found the owner of the bag and he's a crippled man. He was interrogated and compelled to open the bag. All eyes were on the bag, all mouths shut up, everybody was anxious and silent...they're all waiting for the owner to open his bag. The man's hand went down the bag and guess what he got from down there? Hmmm... A massager!!It was vibrating and so it sent signals around the area which caused the alarm to sound off. I could hear every official made a sigh of relief. The supervisor then shouted, "Everything cleared." And they all went back to their work. Whew.

3. A huge truck was passing by the border of Mexico and Texas. The driver was stopped for inspection. He was detained for a few hours for interrogation because up in his truck, a family was found - the parents and their son. The driver claimed he didnt know anything how the family got in there. Both parties were interviewed separately and the man was released and allowed to go to US after he convinced the Border agents about his innocence. The family, on the other hand, was sent back to Mexico. I cannot believe people can do that, risking a fellow's integrity for their selfish desires.

These are just a few of the stories featured last night. I cannot wait for next week's episode!

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