USCIS
UNION CHIEF WARNS OF ISIS THREAT TO U.S.
The head
of the union representing 12,000 federal immigration workers issued a statement
on Thursday warning that the nation's lax immigration policies could be
exploited by the terrorist group ISIS. Ken Palinkas, who serves as the
President of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, said it
is "essential to warn the public about the threat that ISIS will exploit our loose and lax
visa policies to gain entry to the United States ."
Palinkas also
warned that Pres. Obama's executive action to grant amnesty to millions of
illegal aliens that is expected after the November elections could also pose a
threat to public safety.
Here is
Palinkas' full statement:
The National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council
represents 12,000 dedicated immigration caseworkers and adjudicators who are on
the front lines in the fight to keep terrorists out of the United States . In addition to the extremely real
and serious threat that ISIS has already or will soon slip across our porous southern
border, it is also essential to warn the public about the threat that ISIS will exploit our loose and lax
visa policies to gain entry to the United States . Indeed, as we know from the first
World Trade Center bombing in 1993, from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, from the
Boston Bombing, from the recent plot to bomb a school and courthouse in
Connecticut, and many other lesser-known terror incidents, we are letting
terrorists into the United States right through our front door.
Unfortunately – and perilously overlooked in Washington – our caseworkers are denied the
urgent professional resources, enforcement tools, and mission support we need
to keep out those who are bent on doing us harm. In fact, this Administration
has widened the loopholes that terrorists could use to gain entry to the United States through our asylum system. The
Administration has also blocked our partners in Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) from enforcing visa overstays. The 9/11 hijackers got into
the U.S. on visas and now, 13 years later, we have around 5 million immigrants
in the United States who overstayed their visas – many from high-risk regions
in the Middle East. Making matters more dangerous, the Obama Administration’s
executive amnesty, like S. 744 that he unsuccessfully lobbied for, would
legalize visa overstays and cause millions additionally to overstay – raising
the threat level to America even higher. There is no doubt that there are
already many individuals in the United States, on visas – expired or active –
who are being targeted for radicalization or who already subscribe to
radicalized views.
Many millions come legally to the U.S. through our wide open immigration
policy every year – whether as temporary visitors, lifetime immigrants,
refugees, asylum-seekers, foreign students, or recipients of our ‘visa waiver
program’ which allows people to come and go freely. Yet our government cannot
effectively track these foreign visitors and immigrants. And those who defraud
authorities will face no consequence at all in most cases. Our caseworkers
cannot even do in-person interviews for people seeking citizenship, they cannot
enforce restrictions on welfare use, and they even lack even the basic office
space to properly function. Applications for entry are rubber-stamped, the
result of grading agents by speed rather than discretion. We’ve become the visa
clearinghouse for the world.
Finally, I would note the failed ‘transformation’ computer
system into which this government has poured $2 billion dollars. This system is
an attempt to replace human judgment with a rote computer program, and has
proven to be an absolute failure. The answer is more in-person interviews, more
officers and adjudicators, not to undertake the ‘transformation’ of our
immigration system by removing human judgment.
So I would plead to lawmakers: give USCIS adjudicators and
caseworkers the tools they need to keep America safe – and keep the terrorists
out."
Reproduced from an article
originally appearing on the NumbersUSA website
Note: Breitbart.com
reports that Border Patrol agents have caught at least 474 aliens from
terrorism-linked countries trying to enter the U.S. illegally this year. A leaked
document obtained by Breitbart says that 76 of the 474 aliens are from nations
located in and near where the Islamic State is operating — Turkey (41), Saudi Arabia (13), Syria (7), Jordan (7), Iraq (4),Iran (3), and Kuwait (1).
Ben Ferro
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