"International partnerships are key to fighting transnational crime"

An ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) news release
dated March 20, 2012 reported on the importance of the close working
relationship that has been established between personnel of the HSI
(Homeland Security Investigations) division of ICE, with law enforcement
authorities of both the government of Israel and representatives of the
Palestinian Authority.

Here is an excerpt from the recent ICE news release:

As part of their duties overseas, HSI special agents
often examine visa applications for fraud, initiate investigations,
coordinate with law enforcement partners and provide training and advice
to Department of State consular officers. The work performed by these
special agents is vital to protecting the United States against
terrorist and criminal organizations.

As is all too often the case, while news releases issued by the
administration provide flowery statements that accurately explain
effective strategies on the one hand, the administration takes actions
and adopts policies that are diametrically opposed to the very same
strategies that are touted in the news releases.

The fact is that fraud is a huge factor throughout the
entire immigration system and the process by which visas are issued must
be considered an integral component of the immigration system. Although
it is up to the consular officials of the State Department to determine
whether or not to issue a visa to an alien in the first place, the
authority to admit an alien who has a visa is the domain of the
inspectors of CBP (Customs and Border Protection).  In a manner of
speaking, the visa requirement pushes our nation’s border to the United
States Embassy or Consulate where visas are issued.

However, while the news release correctly addresses the importance of
combating fraud in the visa process, under the Visa Waiver Program, the
United States currently permits aliens from some 36 countries to enter
the United States for up to 90 days without first applying for and
receiving a visa – a process that adds an important layer of security
for our nation.

“Visa Waiver Program Endangers our Safety and Security,”
a recent commentary on CAPS’ website, provided a list of six ways in
which the visa process can be helpful to law enforcement and prevent the
entry of aliens whose presence in our country may prove harmful to our
nation and our citizens.  (Under the Visa Waiver Program, not one of
these important benefits applies.)

The Visa Waiver Program runs contrary to the recommendations of the
9/11 Commission which cited flaws in the system resulting in visas being
issued to the terrorists.  If laxity in the visa issuing process
enabled the terrorists to enter the United States, why would we now
permit citizens of 36 countries to enter our country in this day and age
without first obtaining any visa at all?  Incomprehensibly, the
President has made it clear that he intends to seek to expand the Visa
Waiver Program to include even more countries – this at a time when
American citizens, including the elderly and young children, can expect
to experience ever more intrusive searches if they seek to board
airliners in the United States!

Consider this:  There are more than 60,000 employees at the TSA
(Transportation Safety Administration), many of whom are engaged in
searching airline passengers, but there are only about 7,000 ICE special
agents for the entire United States of America and fewer than half of
them are engaged in investigating violations of customs laws and not
immigration laws.  In fact, many of the key managers of ICE and CBP came
from Legacy Customs and not from the former INS (Immigration and
Naturalization Service).  There are reportedly fewer than 300 ICE
enforcement personnel searching for a population of visa violators that
is estimated to be in excess of 5 million!

These numbers just don’t add up, nor do the decisions made by our
government’s leaders, where nothing less than national security is at
stake!