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butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2271

“The Homeland Security Department Inspector General report, released late last month, stated that CIS' current business transformation effort duplicates parts of previous attempts by the agency's chief information office to update IT systems. The agency also has repeatedly developed plans to test elements of the transformation program, but has failed to fully implement any of them, the auditors stated.”

So reports Government Executive Magazine. This once again makes it clear that the infrastructure USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) relies upon to adjudicate applications for a wide variety of immigration benefits is not working effectively. Even with the astounding expenditure of $190 million to modernize its efforts to computerize fifty-five million immigration files, it has not been done properly.

It is important to understand that these files are absolutely essential to the processing of applications for immigration benefits. They are also critical to the effective enforcement of the immigration laws by the special agents of ICE, the inspectors of CBP, the agents of the Border Patrol, the deportation officers of DNR and the district counsels. These counsels act as the administrative equivalent of prosecutors who seek the removal of deportable aliens when such aliens are found to be present in the United States in violation of a wide array of statutes under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is the body of law that governs the admission of aliens into the United States and their right to remain in the United States and seek various benefits.

This past year, according to Government Executive Magazine, USCIS managed to reduce its backlog of applications for immigration benefits by some 70% percent. Before you break out the champagne to toast the success of USCIS, a critical agency that is a component of the DHS, I would also remind you that according to a report issued by the GAO this past March 10, fraud in the benefits program, for which USCIS bears total responsibility, is a huge problem with serious national security implications. You can read the press release that was issued by the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., on March 10, 2006 at:

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http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=559761