Illegal aliens busted at flight school

STOW (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - The owner of a Massachusetts flight school and more than 30 of his students have been charged with being in the country illegally.

The owner of the TJ Aviation Flight Academy at Minute Man Air Field in Stow and the students received federal clearance to train as pilots despite strict security controls put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some of the 9-11 terrorists trained in the U.S.

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Those arrested are Brazilian. Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said immigration officials have concluded that they had "no nexus to terrorism."

A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration tells The Boston Globe the agency is investigating how allegedly illegal immigrants received pilots licenses.

The school's owner denies he is in the U.S. illegally. It's not known how many students he taught to fly.

Ann Davis, spokeswoman for TSA, tells FOX25 there are still a lot of questions and no good answer.

When asked how the flight school is still open, Davis replied "I don't know." She does say people who do not even live in this country "can apply for flight instruction before they even have their visas." She also adds that their names are checked against terrorist watch lists.

The FAA confirms DeJesus does have a pilot's license and holds a certificate to instruct. He says DeJesus does not hold a 141 certificate, which is required to open up an actual flight school. He does maintain a current certificate to teach, so he is allowed to instruct students.

Transportation Security Administration Statement:

"TSA is responsible for checking foreign nationals who apply for flight training in the United States or with FAA-certified flight training providers anywhere in the world. TSA performs a thorough background check on each applicant at the time of application to include terrorism and other watch list matching, a criminal history check and checks for available disqualifying immigration information. This matter has prompted a review of the process through which foreign nationals obtain clearance to take flight lessons and acquire pilots' licenses."