INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Multiple Syrian Men Detained With Fake Greek Passports On St. Maarten And Honduras, Believed To Be Heading To U.S.

By Tara West
Published on: 17:29 PST, Nov 21, 2015

Three Syrian men were detained in St. Maarten after it was discovered they were traveling on fake Greek passports. Meanwhile, five Syrian men were also detained with fake Greek passports in Honduras as officials believe they headed to the United States. The men were reportedly only carrying hand luggage in a bid to avoid checks during their journey from Europe. The three Syrian men stopped in St. Maarten had already made stops in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti with their fake passports before finally being arrested on St. Maarten in the Caribbean. The five Syrian men in Honduras had traveled from Europe to Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica before finally being arrested in Honduras. The recent arrests and fear surrounding the Islamic State posing as refugees has many questioning if terrorists could use a similar method to make their way into the United States.

The Daily Mail reports that three Syrian men, believed to be refugees, not terrorists, were arrested on St. Maarten island in the Caribbean for using fake Greek passports. The men were arrested after it was discovered their passports were forged. The three men were arrested and questioned by police in St. Maarten but are not believed to be terrorists or linked to the Islamic State. However, many are concerned about the fact that the three men were able to make their way from Europe all the way to St. Maarten on fake passports. The men had stopped in numerous countries on multiple flights before they were finally arrested. It was noted that the Syrian men had made previous stops in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti using only their fake Greek passports before their arrest.

Similarly, five Syrian men were arrested in Honduras after a similar journey on fake Greek passports. The men were arrested after they were questioned during a flight delay. The men were reportedly making a journey from Europe to the United States and had planned to sneak into the country through Mexico. However, their plans were thwarted when they were arrested during a flight delay that caused them to miss a flight and have their passports rechecked. The five Syrian men had traveled from Europe to Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica on their fake passports before their eventual arrest.

Local reports indicate that the five men missed a connecting flight they had planned to take to San Pedro Sula. Their leader approached security to ask what they should do and the security official became suspicious and contacted immigration to check out the passport. He discovered that none of the men claiming to be from Greece spoke any Greek and that the passports were fake. The men were then arrested.

Cases such as these are sparking fears that jihadi extremists could enter the United States through Mexico using similar fake passports and a similar flight plan. The men were allegedly attempting to get to San Pedro Sula so that they could walk over the border into Guatemala and eventually make a trek over land through Mexico and into the United States.

Syrian Refugees
People protest the acceptance of Syrian refugees in the United States. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

According to the New York Times, three small groups of people, from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have attempted to enter the United States through Mexico which is contributing to the fear that terrorists could use the method to enter the country. However, immigration officials say that it does not appear that any of the people in the groups were associated with terrorist organizations. Instead, they were noted as people simply trying to flee the embattled region for a better life. In fact, one group allegedly turned themselves in voluntarily at the border and did not even attempt to “sneak” across the border.

Those who have been detained at the border are reportedly screened and then sent to detention centers where they wait to see if they qualify for asylum.

“As a standard procedure, agents processed the six individuals and checked their identities against numerous law enforcement and national security related databases. Records checks revealed no derogatory information about the individuals.”

Do you think the recent rash of Syrians using fake Greek passports to enter the United States is a concern? Or is the detention policy currently in place enough when a fake passport holder is discovered?

[Image by AP Photo/Matt Rourke]

Share this article: Multiple Syrian Men Detained With Fake Greek Passports On St. Maarten And Honduras, Believed To Be Heading To U.S.
More from Inquisitr