Police Often Ticketed Fort Dix Suspects
Responding to suggestions that police should have checked the immigration status of suspects accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said new laws and more money are needed to fight illegal immigration.
Gonzales responded today to questions about a Washington Post report that four of the Fort Dix conspiracy suspects had several run-ins with police, but their immigration status was never checked.
The suspects were ticketed dozens of times a year for speeding, illegal passing and driving without a license, the newspaper says. One suspect pleaded guilty in 2000 to possession of drug paraphernalia and another to possession of marijuana.
Prosecutors say they were among six suspects who plotted to attack Fort Dix.
Gonzales responded to the questions as he testified during a hearing into his firings of U.S. attorneys before the House Judiciary Committee.
