Green cards will go out, background check or not

[flashl]

Source: Chron

Move meant to ease huge backlog of applicants, but critics warn it's a threat to security

To ease an application backlog, the federal government plans to issue green cards to about 47,000 immigrants before the FBI finishes a complete background check — a move that critics warned could compromise national security.

The policy change is designed to address a mounting backlog of green card applicants who have met other requirements for permanent residence and have passed an automated fingerprint check, yet are waiting more than six months for FBI "name check" clearance, said Chris Bentley, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service spokesman.

The green card holders will still be expected to eventually pass the "name check" portion of the background check process, which in some cases takes the FBI more than two years to complete. If U.S. officials find serious problems after issuing a green card, the permanent resident could be deported, Bentley said.

"This maintains national security," Bentley said. "It doesn't compromise the system, but at the same time it allows us to get benefits to people who deserve them."

Chronicle

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5533508.html

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OK ... I get headaches trying to follow all of it, but here goes.

At the airport, granny can get a pat down to the point where she doesn't know if she should complaint or ask for seconds, for our safety. Pregnant women are suspicious, because of terra. Social security cards will soon contain biometric information, to protect us. Surveillance on U.S. citizens is OK, for national security reasons.

But... we are going to process green cards with NO background checks??? :shrug:

Help me out here. What's going on?

[nightrider767]

1. I think it's not a bad idea.

For one, the people are here and not leaving anyways. And from what I read, seems like they want to issue those green cards, but when the background check arrives later, they still have the option to cancel them.

[primavera]

9. It's not anywhere near as big a deal as the headline suggests

If you read the actual memo from US Citizenship & Immigration Services, you'll see that it applies to people who are already applicants for permanent residence and who are therefore already authorized to live, work, and travel in the US indefinitely anyway. The rule only applies to applicants whose applications have been held up for six months or more by the FBI dragging its heels on the security clearances and stipulates that, if the FBI ever gets around to unearthing a problem with a security clearance, USCIS reserves the right to revoke the newly issued green card immediately. So, substantively, all this rule does is save a bit of paperwork in filing for renewals of benefits to which a small handful of applicants were already entitled anyway. But it makes for splashy headlines, which is unfortunate: I'm sure the xenophobe wing-nuts will have a field day with this.

[displacedtexan]

2. It's an illusion of security.

My driver's license expired, and I'm an automatic airline "selectee"
until I get a new one.

I'm white, blonde, and I'm a native-born Texan.

But I'm considered a threat unless I'm flying out of Love Field. They
don't search me there.

[acmavm]

3. We have the stupidest f**king government on the face of the

Earth.

[pacalo]

4. Knowing BushCo for 7 sneaky, tactical years...

this article probably came from the White House as an election-year tactic to stir up the 'thug base who are rabidly anti-immigrants. "To ease an application backlog" is code for the-list-is-long-because-we-got-rid-of-as-many-USCIS-officials-to-save-money-because-we-don't-really-give-a-hoot. The phrase "to ease an application backlog" sounds much more liberal & immigrant-friendly, directing the reader to think 'damn liberals'. This fits in well with the be-afraid-of-losing-more-of-your-tax-dollars, anti-immigrant chain letters now being circulated. 47,000 immigrants about to be issued green cards -- oh, my! I do suspect that the backlog is due to beaurocracy cuts & the incompetence (or possibly willful negligence due to the election year?) of this administration.

[Not Me]

5. Meanwhile I can't take a sealed bottle of water on a plane.

Makes sense to me.

[Zorra]

6. Here's what is going on: The "war on terror" is staged bullshit designed

as a governmental excuse to invade the privacy and take away the civil liberties of honest Americans in order to insure that they can be tracked and controlled by rich globalist fascists that are scared to death of a popular uprising.

These measures are simply measures to protect the gated ivory towers from average Americans that will want revenge for having their lives raped and ruined by greedy, meglomaniacal fascists.

There is no denying that there are some wacko terrorists out there, but they are largely the excuse that is being used to create a subject population in the US.

As far as a real terrorist threat to this country goes, republicans and the Bu*H administration are inarguably by far the most dangerous to the US in terms of damage done to our country. In terms of innocent lives lost, economic damage, environmental damage, and loss of liberty goes, they make al Qaeda look like Spanky and the Little Rascals.

[ReformedChris]

7. Right Wing Radio is going to stir up the pot again with this,..

This is a big ratings draw for them when they stif up their base listeners against anything to do with immigration. I'm sure Hannity and Savage will spasm with delight over the news they get to do more immigrant bashing. No Air America where at at to ease the suffering :-(.

[khaos]

8. it's called social engineering.. we are a police state

we haven't seen anything yet

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

10. A Little Background...

When you apply for permanent residence, you are first fingerprinted and photographed. Once this takes place, a background check is initiated. What is happening is that background checks are taking a very long time - we're talking many months - and that people are waiting for longer periods of time before receiving their PR cards.

In essence, what USCIS is doing is that it is issuing the PR cards in advance of the completed background checks, because people have been waiting very long periods of time.

IMHO, while something certainly needs to be done about illegal immigration, legal immigration and the process for obtaining many immigration benefits ranging from non-immigrant visas to permanent residence, need to be addressed soon or the entire system will collapse. JMHO as an immigration professional.

[RedShoesBlueState]

11. This is what you get when you slash government spending

Honestly, this is exactly what you get when you slash government spending to the extent that Bush and company have. Most government agencies are limping along, just trying to survive until this nightmare is over. The cuts have been so deep, that a friend of mine who works for the federal government said recently: "We're not trimming fat now -- we're down to trimming bone."

On the other hand, I should say that this particular issue doesn't bother me all that much. I'm not all that concerned about this population of people, who can be easily tracked. If they want green cards, they want to work, and they want to pay taxes.