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UPDATE ON INS INVESTIGATION INTO AIRPORT WORKERS
Since beginning in November, Operation Tarmac, the federal investigation into airport workers, has resulted in the arrests of 455 workers at 15 different airports around the country.  While some of those arrested were not entitled to their jobs because of criminal convictions, many of those arrested were undocumented workers.  Officials say that there is no suspicion that those arrested have been involved with terrorism.

Rather, they say that the fact that a person should not have their job could render them vulnerable to blackmail or otherwise lead them to compromise security.  Those arrested all had security clearances that allowed them access to sensitive areas.  None of those arrested have been employed directly by the airports, but were instead employed by businesses that contracted with the airports to provide a variety of services. 

More than a quarter of the arrests occurred at the two main airports serving Washington, DC, Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport (138).  The other arrests occurred in Atlanta (5), Baltimore (10), Boston (20), Charlotte (66), Las Vegas (27), Phoenix (33), Portland (30), Sacramento (3), Salt Lake City (69), San Diego (9), San Francisco, San Jose (25) and Seattle (20).
Before September 11th, security among airport workers was not a high priority.  Despite the lack of attention paid to the issue, a number of companies have been fined for failing to adequately check backgrounds of employees, including a  million fine levied against Argenbright Security in 2000. 

Officials say the check of airport employee records should be completed by the end of the year.