Mr. Chairman. we do not want these agencies to waive instances where they have not had time to do the criminal background checks or to check the terrorist watch list. And in order to make it timely. in the amendment. we provide the revenue by having aliens who use our immigration system pay a modest security fee. That provides the very resources necessary here. What do those resources go to besides to ensure this is done in a timely manner? Well. this amendment also consolidates the datagathering function of the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security in a lawenforcement focused division whose mission is to detect. investigate and prosecute fraud and corruption. whether internal or external to USCIS. and to serve as a centralized securityrelated information clearinghouse for USCIS. So this information is shared. and it encourages the criminal investigators responsible for rooting out corruption and preventing immigration benefits fraud to partner with the adjudications officers so that fraud may be detected and prevented early in the application process. For all of these reasons. I think this answers the very concerns raised by the gentlewomans objection. and it certainly provides the additional resources to do it. Thus. I urge adoption of the amendment. and I would just close by pointing out the one inescapable fact of the 94 terrorists studied in this country since 9/11: Twothirds of these foreignborn terrorists committed fraud. got past our immigration system prior to taking part in attempted terrorist operations in our country. It only makes sense to tighten the system and ensure that we have the proper investigations to catch the flags which had we caught prior to 9/11 might have prevented a terrorist attack. This amendment addresses precisely that problem.
Keywords matched
USCIS immigration