During one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, a 7NEWS investigation has exposed what experts are calling a serious breakdown in security at Denver International Airport -- breakdowns in systems that law enforcement agencies had pledged to fix following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

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See What Employee Had To Say About Security Breach

Federal sources confirmed that on the morning of Aug. 16 a foreign national from China presented expired documents and attempted to board a plane at DIA with a one-way ticket to Boston.

Airline officials did their part and did not let the woman onboard, but an eyewitness and two security experts are wondering why she was allowed to get away.

"Homeland security and INS are not living up to what they are promising," said an employee at the airport who witnessed the events of that morning.

He said the woman walked in shortly after 4 a.m. on a Saturday, approached an ATA counter at DIA, looking suspicious.

"She had two different documents. She had the passport, the Chinese passport that was expired, as well as the visa for United States entry (which) was expired," the employee said.

The man wanted his identity protected but also wanted to expose what he calls a clear-cut breakdown in the security net at DIA.

"There was concern that she didn't belong in this country, and in today's world we are to look out for those people," the employee said.

The witness said that the woman's documents raised several red flags so an airline employee contacted two law enforcement agencies -- a Denver police officer and the federal agency responsible for immigration issues.

"The police said, 'This isn't our problem. This is an INS' problem.' And INS wasn't even there at that hour," said the employee at DIA.

So even though the airline identified a potential problem, law enforcement agencies at the airport were either not available or not interested, 7NEWS Investigator Tony Kovaleski said.

Kovaleski: "The Denver police officer said, 'It's INS' problem' and a few minutes later this individual walks out of the airport?"
Employee: "Yes."

"I mean, if a policeman says, 'It's not my job,' and means it and believes it, we've got a problem -- not with the policeman, but with the system," said airport security expert Mike Boyd.

Two recognized airport security experts call the events of Aug. 16 a breakdown in the system.

"In this case they identified a potential threat. Federal law enforcement dropped the ball. They were not there," said Larry Johnson, an airport security expert.

So who is responsible for allowing a Chinese national with an expired passport, an expired visa and a one-way ticket to Boston to walk out of the doors unquestioned? The federal agency responsible for customs and border protection does not have an agent on duty until 8 a.m. -- more than two hours after the ticket holder walked away.

"Let's put out a notice to all terrorists, 'Look, we're only open to do business with you between 8 and 5. If you come after business hours, you're going to have to wait to attack us.' What nonsense," Johnson said.

A spokesman for the Department of U.S. Customs and Border Protection told The Investigators that an agent did not respond until after 8 a.m. because nobody called the agency's 24-hour hot line.

The Denver Police Department showed no record of a police response on the issue.

"There was no incident report made of that call and we actually verbally surveyed the detail if anyone had memory of the circumstance and nobody did," said Denver police Lt. Bill Barenberg.

The passenger walked away and abandoned her unchecked luggage and apparently, nearly four months later, no law enforcement agency has located her, questioned her motive or held her accountable in any way.

"It says we are just as vulnerable as we were prior to 9-11," security expert Boyd said.

"I am concerned. I'm concerned something could happen again, that the system that is supposed to be in place isn't working," said an employee at the airport.

"What you've uncovered is very clearly the fact that we are still wide open to any even amateur terrorist who wants to blow up an airport or an airplane," said Boyd.

The experts and the eyewitness said the airline did its job and kept the questionable passenger from flying. Customs and border protection agents have the documents the woman left behind. They said they did a criminal background check and found nothing suspicious but have still not located and questioned the foreign national.

Security expert Larry Johnson said the airport should immediately call a meeting with all airlines and law enforcement to close this hole in security.