Transportation Security worker called a "model employee" by TSA Union Official

From Eric Dondero:

His name is Ruben Hernandez. No other information has been released yet on him, except that he lives in Newark. An unofficial representative from the Union seeking to represent TSA employees commented that he's been a "model employee."

Hernandez has been identified as the TSA Agent at Newark International Airport who left his post, and allowed an immigrant Chinese man to breach security. The incident led to a 6 hour lock-down of the busy airport during the Holiday Season. Flights were delayed. Passengers were stranded.

One report found that Hernandez was "talking on his cell phone," when the breach occured. Another media source described Hernandez as "chatting" with some ladies while the Chinese man lifted up the security rope and "hotfooted it" into the secure area.

From the NY Post:

The stunning breach was missed by TSA guard Ruben Hernandez, who left his post, but was called a "model employee" by a union official.

The NY Daily News reports:

The air-headed TSA guard who left his post was identified as Ruben Hernandez. He reportedly is on administrative leave and faces possible disciplinary action.

Grad Student Chinese Immigrant to US identified as Culprit

The Post and other news sources are also reporting this morning on the Chinese man who caused the altercation:

Cops have caught the notorious kissing bandit who caused a major security scare at Newark Airport Sunday when he strolled through a checkpoint the wrong way to give his girlfriend a smooch goodbye, sources said.

Haisong Jiang, a 28-year-old Rutgers bio-medical research grad student, brought the busy airport to a standstill and sparked a weeklong manhunt, sources said.

Turns out he's a biology molecular "grad student," at Rugers University. He's been in the US for 5 years. His roomate said, he didn't "think it was such a big deal," so he purposely avoided turning himself in.

Then this priceless comment:

Hui said Jiang was giving a goodbye kiss to his girlfriend Qianqun, who was visiting him for Christmas break and was heading to LA to work as a statistician.

"We know that he's very excited to have a real woman," Hui said. "His girlfriend is very upset. I think she will be here in two days to face this with him."

Jiang is now facing a $500 fine for "defiant trespess."

Illegal Aliens working for TSA?

Curiously, the TSA has been completely silent on the immigration and/or citizenship status of TSA Employee Hernandez.

TSA has been criticized recently for hiring illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America. And the problem appears to be particularly accute in airports up in the Northeast.

From The Thinker blog:

In the latest of many shameful lapses, the federal agency in charge of securing the nation’s transportation system approved background checks for a dozen illegal immigrants working in sensitive areas of a busy U.S. airport.

The illegal aliens, from Central America and Mexico, worked in operational areas of Stewart International Airport, a 2,400-acre facility located about 60 miles north of New York City. Stewart is a major passenger airport for the state’s mid-Hudson region that also handles large quantities of cargo and serves as a military field.

The illegal aliens all had security badges approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency created after the 2001 terrorist attacks mainly to protect airlines. The TSA’s national background check failed to detect the fake Social Security numbers and other bogus documents provided by the illegal immigrants to obtain clearance.

Unionized, TSA empoloyees would be better protected from background searches and immigrant status. Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina believes it would be disastrous to allow TSA to Unionize, for precisely this reason. On a recent segment of CNN the Senator commented:

"And many other federal employees, including those who deal with national security like border patrol agents and customs officers, have the right to collectively bargain..." And later added, "We do have 12 million undocumented aliens in our country..."