Stow Flight School Owner, Students Arrested

STOW (CBS/AP) - The owner of a flight school in Stow and more than 30 of his students have been charged by federal authorities 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.

All 34 people arrested at the school about 30 miles west of Boston are Brazilian and have no known terrorist ties, according to Ross Feinstein, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"The 34 individuals administratively arrested are not in ICE custody, but are currently in removal proceedings," Feinstein said in an email to WBZ-TV Friday.

Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, told WBZ-TV the agency is investigating how allegedly illegal immigrants received pilots' licenses.

"TSA is responsible for checking foreign nationals who apply for flight training in the United States," Davis said.

"This matter has prompted a review of the process through which foreign nationals obtain clearance to take flight lessons and acquire pilots' licenses."

In an interview with the Boston Globe, the school's owner, Thiago DeJesus, denied he is in the U.S. illegally, but he declined to provide proof of residency.

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