Calif. congressman seeks federal investigation on woman’s false deportation, TSA policies

US rep seeks probe on Calif. false deportation

HEMET, Calif. — A California congressman has called for an investigation into how a man posed as a U.S. marshal to bypass airport security in San Diego and deport his cousin’s wife to the Philippines.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sent a letter last week to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking for documents related to the incident and to Transportation Security Administration policies.

“The Department cannot continue to rely on luck and happenstance to thwart breaches of this magnitude,” Issa wrote.

Police said Greg Denny, 37, of Hemet, went to Cherriebelle Hibbard’s home on Jan. 15, handcuffed her at gunpoint and forced her husband, who is his cousin, to buy a plane ticket. He then used a fake badge to get through security at Lindberg Field Airport and put her on a plane to her home country, where she remains, according to a police report.

Denny was arrested three days later, after his cousin Craig Hibbard realized that he was not a U.S. marshal.

Riverside County District Attorney spokesman John Hall said prosecutors have not decided whether he will face charges, which could be state or federal.

In his letter, the congressman quoted TSA spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino as saying that Denny “apparently followed the law enforcement procedures.”

“If TSA screening officers followed guidelines, then the existing procedure is fundamentally flawed,” Issa wrote. “On the other hand, if TSA agents did not adhere to procedure, then the officers suffer from either a lack of training or extreme complacency.”

After the incident, the administration said its San Diego supervisor would get more training and that policies and procedures would be reviewed.

Cherriebelle Hibbard, who is five months pregnant, has been married for three years. Her husband said immigration officials recently told her that she could stay in the U.S. while she waited for a reissued green card to be processed.

Information from: The Press-Enterprise, www.pe.com