The Office of Inspector General within the Department of Homeland Security has concluded that federal immigration authorities are failing to properly screen the millions of noncitizens entering and residing in the United States. This failure raises concerns that potential terrorists could exploit these gaps in the system.
According to a report from the DHS inspector general, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lacks complete access to federal data, which hampers their ability to thoroughly vet foreign nationals entering the country through ports of entry. This deficiency could potentially allow terrorists and other dangerous criminals to enter the United States. Furthermore, the report highlights that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is not conducting comprehensive background checks on asylum seekers already present in the country.
The inspector general’s investigation revealed that USCIS did not consistently conduct timely screenings for over 400,000 affirmative asylum applicants between October 2017 and March 2023. Additionally, USCIS lacks the necessary technology and procedures to conduct interim screenings for asylum applicants whose cases exceed the required three-month time frame for adjudication. The report emphasizes that until these issues are addressed by DHS agencies, federal immigration authorities will continue to be vulnerable to the entry of “dangerous persons” into the country. It also warns that allowing asylum seekers with potential “significant threats to public safety and national security” to remain in the country poses a risk.
“However, without the capabilities to effectively screen and vet, CBP is unable to conduct complete screening and vetting of all noncitizen travelers at air and land [ports of entry],” the report concluded. “Without having full access to all federally held data, querying all noncitizens entering the country, and having biometric matching capability at all [ports of entry], CBP is at risk of allowing criminals, suspected terrorists, or other nefarious actors to enter the United States.”
Several foreign nationals suspected of having ties to ISIS were apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI officials in the past week. These individuals had entered the country prior to being identified through a significant sting operation that revealed concerning information in their backgrounds. Throughout President Joe Biden’s administration, millions of illegal immigrants have crossed into the country. Consequently, the number of suspected terrorists encountered by immigration officials has surged, showing an increase of over 2,500% compared to the previous administration.
The inspector general report provided various suggestions to address deficiencies in the vetting process, including the establishment of a system for ongoing monitoring of specific asylum seekers to detect any potential threats to the U.S., updating screening criteria, and ensuring that federal immigration authorities take necessary actions upon identifying negative information, among other recommendations.
