Monday, February 11, 2008

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Security Checks   [Mark Krikorian]

This just in:

In a major policy shift aimed at reducing a ballooning immigration backlog, the Homeland Security Department is preparing to grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of applicants before the FBI completes a required background check.

Those eligible are immigrants whose fingerprints have cleared the FBI database of criminal convictions and arrests, but whose names have not yet cleared the FBI's criminal or intelligence files after six months of waiting.

So, if your security check takes too long, never mind!

The immigrants who are granted permanent status, more commonly known as getting their green cards, will be expected eventually to clear the FBI's name check. If they don't, their legal status will be revoked and they'll be deported.

Sure, they will.

The decision demonstrates how federal agencies are struggling to keep up with surging immigration applications while applying stringent post-9-11 background checks.

It also demonstrates how federal agencies would deal with 12 million amnesty applications.

DHS officials said the new process does not pose any new security risks because green card applicants have been allowed to remain in the country while they wait to be screened.

Great! That's because we automatically give "temporary" work authorization and a travel document to anyone here who files a green card application, no matter how ludicrous, that is not adjudicated within 90 days (which few are).

02/11 12:47 PMShare