111,000 Immigration Files Lost

[Backstop]

This whole 'border thing' is getting comical, in a fatalistic sort of way.

Then again, giving them all amnesty will surely make us safer - so this won't be an issue any more.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/htm...iles_lost.html

111,000 IMMIGRATION FILES LOST

TENS OF THOUSANDS GET CITIZENSHIP WITHOUT BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

By James P. Tucker Jr.

An investigation by a government oversight agency recently revealed that in 2005 U.S. immigration authorities either “lost” or could not account for an estimated 111,000 files on immigrants to the United States, resulting in tens of thousands gaining citizenship without any indication as to whether authorities had checked to see if any of them had a criminal history.

The shocking loss was discovered in a study by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) sought by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). As many as 30,000 immigrants obtained citizenship with limited scrutiny as a result.

“In 2002, we had a person who was a threat to the United States that got citizenship and the file wasn’t even reviewed,” Grassley said on the Lou Dobbs TV show Dec. 4.

“How can this happen? Basic incompetence of paperwork or the fact that even paperwork exists as opposed to having this stuff on computer where it can be saved.”

There only has to be “one mistake” and the United States could again become a victim of terrorism, Grassley said, “A terrorist has to be right once,” he said. “We have to be right every time.”

Grassley was referring to an individual who received his U.S. citizenship and was a known supporter of the Lebanese militia group, Hezbollah, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and Israel also consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The rest of the world considers it a legitimate resistance organization that defends southern Lebanon from Israeli incursions.

“If they can’t handle legal immigration, how are they going to give amnesty to 12 million people that are here illegally?” Dobbs asked.

“A test on that will come next year when we have a debate on an amendment that there can’t be any guest worker programs or even any consideration of legalizing illegality if we don’t control the borders in the first place,” Grassley responded. “In other words, control the borders in the first place and then look at all these other issues as a next step.”

In a prepared statement issued earlier, Grassley said “It takes one missing file of somebody with links to a terrorist organization to become an American citizen. A terrorist can be unsuccessful thousands of times, but we have to be perfect all the time. We can’t afford to be handing out citizenship with blinders on.”

The 30,000 missing files represent about 4% of the 715,000 total applications handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2005. The CIS is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The files, known as “A files,” contain information such as arrest warrants and the results of immigration proceedings. The losses can be attributed to “poor training” and “a lack of emphasis by managers,” the report said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.), who also called for the investigation, observed that some of the 9-11 hijackers entered the country legally, disappearing until the terrorist attacks.

She called it “unthinkable” that the U.S. immigration system could still grant citizenship to a potential terrorist “simply because they can’t find a person’s file.”

CIS officials told auditors that case adjudicators are not required to document whether they use A files. This means some of the 30,000 could have been reviewed but they don’t know. Auditors recommended CIS tell employees to note whether an A file was used to adjudicate an application—something any clerk-typist would recommend.

[Ryan Ruck]

Sounds like they are doing as bang up a job as the BATFE!

[Backstop]

And to add this supportive documentation:

And here are the transcripts of Lou Dobbs’ 4 December 2006 conversation with Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Read ‘em and weep.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...04/ldt.01.html

DOBBS: More now on that outrageous story we reported last week about the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Agency losing track of 111,000 files. As many as many as 30,000 of those people were granted U.S. citizenship besides missing documents and investigations of their background. Senator Chuck Grassley, one of the two senators who requested the investigation that brought the case to light. And Senator Grassley joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. Good to have you here.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: I'm glad to always be with you, Lou.

DOBBS: This is -- on the issue of illegal immigration, the absurdities never cease to amaze any of us. But this is inside the legal immigration system and it's completely a mess. Why is this going on?

GRASSLEY: Well, could I say one reason why it really points out as being a mess? In 2002, we had a person who was a threat to the United States that got citizenship and the file wasn't even reviewed.

So when a terrorist can have that happen, we know it's really bad. How can this happen? I think that's your question. Basic incompetence of paperwork or the fact that even paperwork exists as opposed to having this stuff on computer where it can be saved.

My general -- we requested the Government Accountability Office to investigate this. And their report that I have with me, if you want to see it, would be -- would say that 30,000 people in this country became citizen citizens without their file even being reviewed. And in 14 offices that the Government Accountability Office went to, they found 111,000 cases of files being lost.

DOBBS: I have the General Accountability Office report here with me, senator. The idea that we have a federal agency, the Citizenship and Immigration Service trying to push through a backlog of, what, six million what are called alien files. They are aliens, people don't like to deal with that sometimes in the pro-illegal immigration lobbying and activist groups.

But that's what they are. How in the world did we get in this situation and are they really doing this carefully because they seem to be just wanting to drive this through the CIS?

GRASSLEY: Well, first of all, people maybe are seen as doing a good job, the more people they rubber-stamped to become citizens of this country get here illegally in the first place.

Secondly, the fact that they lose these files and terrorists can become citizens and get into this country, you know there only has to be one mistake. A terrorist has to be right once. We have to be right every time.

And here we've got 111,000 files and 30,000 people becoming citizens that we didn't even get their case reviewed. You can see why it's a threat to our country.

And also getting back to your point, it shows if they can't handle legal immigration, how are they going to give amnesty to six million people that are -- 12 million people that are here illegally if we were to pass such a bill, which I'm opposed to amnesty, by the way.

DOBBS: You're opposed to it. I have to say Senator Leahy today, the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary saying "years of dawdling have worsened our border security and made it harder to fix this broken system.

We should not let partisan politics and intolerance," Senator Grassley, "intolerance continue to delay and derail effective reform."

Do you believe that the senator has any concept of how he can control immigration that he wants to reform if he can't assure us all that we're controlling our borders and ports?

GRASSLEY: I think a test to that will come next year when we have a debate on an amendment that there can't be any guest worker programs or even any consideration of legalizing illegality if we don't control the borders in the first place. In other words, control the borders in the first place and then look at all these other issues as a next step.

DOBBS: Senator Chuck Grassley, good to have you here. Thank you, sir.

GRASSLEY: Thank you.

[Brian Baldwin]

Why does none of this surprise me in the least?