Flying the friendly skies
Several people have asked why we continue to write about the people arrested in an immigration sting at TIMCO. It's a fair question. We've written more than a dozen stories about the case since the federal agents arrested 27 airplane mechanics and repair workers last month. We've played most of them on the front page, often above the fold.
I asked John Nagy, the editor in charge of our coverage to explain.
"* The issue of illegal immigration. Large numbers of individuals are crossing the U.S. borders illegally to find a better life for themselves. Current federal law declares this illegal. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have highlighted that the country is vulnerable to such border crossings by those who might have ill intentions. And while states have tightened how they deal with illegal immigrants' access to driver's licenses and other official documents, North Carolina remains vulnerable. Federal and state law enforcement officials say that immigrants up and down the East Coast come to the state by vanload routinely to obtain drivers licenses using fraudulent documents.
"* The issue of obtaining N.C. driver's licenses. North Carolina is one of a few states that does not require an applicant to provide proof of "legal presence" when getting a license. Because of that, virtually anyone can obtain a license, regardless of whether they speak English or know the rules of the road. And more importantly, driver's licenses are "gateway" documents that open the door to obtaining other important documents or access to a host of other
services and jobs that might not otherwise be available.
* "Air security. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the federal government clamped down on who has access "behind the wall" of the nation's airports. And yet the government's own enforcement actions like "Operation Tarmac" show that airports and their various contractors are routinely ignoring these rules or turning a blind eye to illegal immigrants applying for jobs behind the wall.
"* Air safety. The nation is coming off the safest year on record for air travel. But the skies are becoming more crowded. The population of air travelers is expected to soar over the next several years. Air safety and the condition of aircraft, always fundamental, will become even more so.
"* The airline industry as a whole. The industry simply is in a time of free-fall and seeking a lowest common denominator. Companies are posting record losses, airline employees are seeing continued pay reductions and layoffs across the board. One way for airlines to save money is to outsource those jobs to contractors, such as TIMCO, that can provide that work at lower cost. Contractors such as TIMCO, in turn, sometimes rely upon subcontractors for labor needs. This is the situation we've been writing about lately.
"* The growth of this region's Latino population. The 2000 U.S. Census detailed that this population is growing exponentially, in excess of 20 percent a year. Many of these individuals are Hispanics coming up from Mexico and settling into service sector jobs."
Put simply, this is happening in Greensboro, at our airport, and they are working on airplanes any of us could fly on. We think it's worth telling you about.