Houston Chronicle: A fifth of U.S. visa applicants reportedly unchecked

Eugene

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 04:53 AM
Original message

Houston Chronicle: A fifth of U.S. visa applicants reportedly unchecked

June 16, 2006, 1:25AM
A fifth of U.S. visa applicants reportedly unchecked
Ex-Homeland official says failure to do background probes
pose risk to national security

By GEBE MARTINEZ
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - The federal government failed to conduct background checks on a
fifth of the 7.5 million applicants for U.S. visas last year, posing a serious national
security risk, a former Department of Homeland Security official alleged Thursday.

Michael Maxwell, former director of security and investigations at the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, said the mind-set at the agency was
"customer service, customer service, customer service" to alleviate the application
backlog, which averages two years.

<snip>

The former official, who said he resigned from the agency in February to openly
share his misgivings about immigration enforcement, commented during a forum
organized by opponents of a Senate immigration bill that would increase the number
of available visas.

Maxwell cast doubts on the government's ability to carry out the Senate proposal,
which also would allow about 10 million of the 12 million illegal immigrants
in the country to apply for so-called earned citizenship after 11 years of meeting
various requirements.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3974234.html

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

ClintonTyree

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 05:08 AM
Response to Original message

1. Does everyone feel safer now?

Knowing that "W" is on the job sure makes me feel secure. :sarcasm:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

fasttense

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 05:29 AM
Response to Original message

2. In the six years the bushes have been in control of the US

government, they have done NOTHING about Illegal Immigrants. Now all of a sudden they are spinning about it? Sending National Guard to the southern border is just show. As soon as US citizens go on to the next crisis, the bushes will go back to shipping illegals into their factories.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

mumon

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 06:30 AM
Response to Original message

3. So WTF does it take so long to get one?

Horror stories from legal immigrants abound: the normal amount of time it takes to get a visa is ridiculous, and after the applications are sent it's like the application descended into a black hole if one tries to get any info as to its status.

Really, if all they're doing is nothing, . . .

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

kedrys

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 07:57 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. It wasn't always so

It took me about a year and a half and cost me roughly $500 to work my way through the process (this was in the early 80s), and said process included a background check by the FBI - yes, they have a full set of my pawprints.

P.S. The green card isn't really green...at least mine isn't. :P

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

primative1

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 08:07 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. What Color Is It?

Is it a card or 340 pounds of paperwork?

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

kedrys

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Jun-16-06 09:11 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. Sort of gray

and credit-card or ID-card- sized. :rofl:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Tue Apr 30th 2024, 06:15 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.