A recent report has caused significant concern, revealing the alarming inadequacies in how our federal immigration authorities manage the inflow of noncitizens into the country. A probe conducted by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shed light on some troubling inadequacies. The report indicates that Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency tasked with maintaining the sovereignty of our nation’s borders, does not have comprehensive access to federal data, making a full vetting of foreigners entering our country via legal ports of entry nearly impossible. Consequently, serious national security threats, such as terrorists or dangerous criminals, could potentially slip through our national defense net unnoticed, a reality that should strike fear into the hearts of every American citizen.
Alarmingly, CBP’s difficulties with security vetting extend much further than just initial entry points. According to the DHS Inspector General’s report, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is failing to conduct thorough investigations on asylum seekers that are already residing within our borders. This oversight leaves many unchecked individuals who could have compromising information on their background records unnoticed, creating a potential threat within our borders.
It’s not merely lack of attention that’s causing this oversight. The report noted instances where the USCIS didn’t even perform timely screenings on over 400,000 affirmative asylum applicants during the period covering October of 2017 through to March of 2023. This vital lapse in security suggests an urgent need for reform, which continues to be ignored.
Contributing to this unresolved issue significantly is the obsolete technology and outdated procedures USCIS relies on. The federal agency is unable to perform interim security screenings on asylum applicants whose cases have not been resolved within the required three-month deadline. Implementation of modern, effective technology and reformulation of procedural guidelines could potentially remedy this weakness in our national security structure.
Until these lapses are corrected, the DHS agencies remain exposed, running the risk of admitting dangerous elements into the country. Moreover, it isn’t just about the ‘dangerous persons’ that might infiltrate our borders, but also about maintaining checks on asylum seekers who could potentially pose ‘significant threats to public safety and national security’ further threatening the security of our country’s citizens.
Without robust vetting capabilities, CBP cannot conduct a full screening and vetting procedure on all noncitizen travelers at the numerous land and air entry points across the United States. As the report underlines, the lack of access to comprehensive federally-held data, queries on all noncitizens entering the country, and biometric matching capabilities at all ports of entry, makes our borders vulnerable to criminal elements or individuals with extremist leanings.
Reinforcing these concerns, law enforcement agencies have recently arrested several noncitizens with suspected links to ISIS. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI officials, these individuals had previously been allowed into the country before an extensive surveillance operation unveiled the telltale signs of their extremist leanings.
These apprehensions have come at a time when the United States has witnessed a surge in illegal immigration. Since the advent of President Joe Biden’s tenure, the country has seen millions of illegal immigrants breach our borders. This influx has propagated an unprecedented rise in encounters with suspected terrorists by immigration officials—with increases of over an extraordinary 2,500% since the last administration.
The Inspector General’s report took the prudent step of offering multiple recommendations to rectify our country’s vetting deficiencies. Among these was the need to develop a strategy for continuous monitoring of certain asylum applicants, identifying noncitizens who might pose a threat to the safety and security of our nation.
Similarly, updating the screening requirements, to better reflect the modern threats our country faces was also suggested. Such advancement would provide our law enforcement officers with more powerful tools, enhancing their ability to ward off threats from individuals who have the intent to harm our nation.
Furthermore, the report advises that federal immigration authorities should ensure that ‘appropriate action’ is taken when derogatory information about an individual is identified. This should involve taking proactive and swift action wherever potential threats to national security are detected, from the point of an individual’s entry into this country and throughout their time here.
The DHS Inspector General’s report serves to highlight just how precariously our country’s national security rests right now. Despite being aware of these gaping loopholes, adequate steps are yet to be undertaken, underscoring the urgent need for their rectification.
The gravity of these findings, while disturbing, should serve as a wake-up call—one that propels those in power towards effective action. Streamlining our immigration system and enhancing the efficacy of our border controls are not political stances to position ourselves on party lines—they are paramount to national security, a fundamental right of every American citizen.
As we reflect upon these critical failings and issues exposed by this report, it’s clear that more than ever, our focus needs to be on strengthening our national security. A commitment to continuously improving and developing our vetting procedures to plug identified gaps is indispensable for the future safety of the United States.