Believe In America.com

butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2271

8/24/06
Terrorist screening missed 75% of time

An estimated 75 percent of applicants for immigrant benefits - green cards, work visas, and a host of other documents - at a major federal processing center were not screened through the U.S. terrorism watch list over the past four years, the Daily Bulletin has learned.
The error - on nearly 3 million applications dating to 2002 - was confirmed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers at the National Benefits Center in Lee's Summit, Mo., near Kansas City. The center is one of several facilities across the country that process foreign applications for immigrant benefits.

Numerous Department of Homeland Security e-mails - sent the day after British authorities uncovered major terror plot - noted that supervisors and adjudicators at the Missouri center were not aware that a simple touch of a computer key would have allowed them to check the names of applicants against the highest-priority terrorist list. According to the e-mails and the adjudicators themselves, up to 2.8 million applications at the center dating to 2002 did not get such checks.

Robert Cowan, director of the National Benefits Center, denied that benefits were processed incorrectly and said any failed background checks were given to supervisors for final review. Cowan added that the 75 percent figure was attributable to employees not properly marking enforcement documents, misspelling names, or leaving out names altogether.

"If a hit is uncovered, no benefit or service is granted until that hit is fully resolved," Cowan said.

Chris Bentley, a USCIS spokesman, said he "would be surprised if anyone could find documentation that USCIS has granted benefits to someone on the terrorist watch list."

But the Daily Bulletin obtained several documents showing non-supervisory adjudicators resolving national security background checks, which runs counter to Cowan's assertion that only supervisors ran such checks. One document, dated July 27, recommends granting an immigration benefit even though the applicant, whose name was redacted for national security reasons, is acknowledged as being on the terrorist watch list.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4222795

Andy51 · Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Washington state

Hmmmmmmmmm, but haven't I been hearing from the president and the republicans how much more safe we are now that they are running things? You would think that with 75% of those coming in through this center "not" being screened that this country is not any better off, and mabe worse as far as security goes.

Ah well, maybe the president can come up with a plan on his golfing vaction with his dad. Of course he didn't get much accomplished down in Texas, but hey, as they say, all work and no play makes for adull boy, or is it all play and no work makes you a "leader of the most powerul nation in the world" a nation that most people in the world now hate??????????????????????????? Crying or Very sad

Take care.

Andy