New Audit Finds 7.1 Million Visa Applicants Not Interviewed
July 1, 2024
Last week, the Homeland Security Inspector General (IG) issued a formal alert to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), informing the agency of an “urgent issue” requiring immediate attention.
In its alert, the IG reported that 7.1 million foreign nationals were granted visas, and presumably allowed entry, even though government officials had not interviewed the aliens, and in some cases, had not even collected fingerprints. The report highlighted information sharing gaps that are reminiscent of errors made leading up to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Inspector General reported that the State Department’s decision to waive interviews, and in some cases fingerprints, was an attempt to manage staffing shortages and backlogs that developed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the Inspector General discovered that CBP, the agency protecting our borders, was unaware which nonimmigrant visa holders arriving at the border had received only limited screening by the State Department.
Having that information, the IG said, would have triggered officers to do additional screenings and “to make more informed decisions” upon inspection.
https://www.fairus.org/news/executiv...ot-interviewed
