June 16, 2006, 1:25AM
A fifth of U.S. visa applicants reportedly uncheckedEx-Homeland official says failure to do background probes
pose risk to national securityBy 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.
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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.
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Full article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3974234.html