[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 40 (Thursday, April 14, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        INS DISCUSSION TO HALT IMMIGRANT FINGERPRINT PROCESSING

  Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, the Washington Post reported today that 
despite administration pledges to crack down on criminals and 
terrorists slipping into the country as immigrants, the Federal 
Government has stopped running routine fingerprint checks on 
immigrants. I find this outrageous.
  During the past year, as ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee 
on Investigations, I conducted a lengthy investigation of criminal 
aliens in the United States. Our investigation found that criminal 
aliens are a serious threat to our public safety that is costing 
Federal, State, and local criminal justice systems hundreds of millions 
of dollars. The very last thing this country needs to do is import more 
criminals--we have more than enough of our own.
  The INS decision to stop immigrant fingerprint processing will allow 
criminals and terrorists to immigrate to our country. Last year 
fingerprint processing prevented some 9,000 criminals from immigrating 
to the United States. The INS claims that this is only 1 percent of the 
total numbers fingerprinted, but that 1 percent still represents 9,000 
criminals, a very significant number. Nine thousand more criminals can 
ruin the lives of an enormous number of law-abiding citizens.
  What the INS apparently does not realize is that fingerprint 
processing deters criminals from even attempting to immigrate to the 
United States.
  Who knows how many criminals have been deterred from applying for 
visas because of the fingerprint check? INS might as well post a big 
billboard at the border that says ``Criminals and Terrorists Welcome: 
No Background Check Required.''
  The Post report quoted an INS official stating that this action is 
necessary due to the current budget situation. What the INS does not 
say is that only the INS is to blame for this so-called budget 
situation.
  Immigrant fingerprint processing is paid for out of the examination 
fee account. The account is funded by fees the INS charges to those who 
immigrate to the United States. These fees have not been raised in over 
a decade.
  The fees for fingerprint processing, on the other hand, have been 
raised. The so-called budget situation is due to the fact that the INS 
has not raised its fees along with rising costs for processing 
immigrant applicants. The simple solution is to raise immigration fees. 
The taxpayers should not have to pay more.
  But due to the INS' action, the taxpayers will have to pay more. 
While the INS claims that it will save $3 million by eliminating this 
program. Nine thousand additional criminal aliens will cost the 
taxpayers a lot more; not only the additional costs to the justice 
system, where these criminal aliens commit more crimes, but also the 
cost of the social welfare programs these criminal aliens will be 
eligible for. The INS decision may be penny wise, but it is surely 
pound foolish.
  In short, this is bureaucracy at its worst.
  Our country is facing a serious crime problem. It is facing a serious 
terrorist threat from abroad. We need only point to the World Trade 
Center bombing in New York, or the wanton murders of CIA employees 
outside CIA Headquarters. It is time for the administration and the INS 
to wake up to reality. The American public is fed up with crime and 
wants terrorism stopped. Eliminating fingerprint checks is the wrong 
way to go.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Washington Post article by Roberto 
Suro be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Apr. 14, 1994]

                U.S. Halts Immigrant Fingerprint Checks

                           (By Roberto Suro)

       Despite administration pledges to crack down on criminals 
     and terrorists slipping into the country as immigrants, the 
     federal government has stopped running routine fingerprint 
     checks on immigrants, a procedure that has blocked thousands 
     of people a year from entering the United States because of 
     criminal records.
       In a policy change effective April 1, the Immigration and 
     Naturalization Service (INS) now will send only a handful of 
     fingerprints from prospective immigrants to the FBI for a 
     criminal record check and only in exceptional cases.
       Applicants for a wide range of immigration benefits 
     including citizenship, permanent residence and political 
     asylum will continue to submit fingerprints to the INS.
       An internal memorandum from INS headquarters here to 
     offices around the world states that although the agency ``is 
     taking this action reluctantly, it is necessary due to the 
     current budget situation.''
       Richard Kenney, an INS spokesman, said the agency hopes to 
     save $3 million the remaining six months of the fiscal year 
     by drastically reducing what he termed ``an expensive, labor-
     intensive process.''
       In 1993 nearly 890,000 sets of prints were sent to the FBI 
     for criminal record check, and less than 1 percent had 
     applications turned down, Kenney said.
       That amounts to nearly 9,000 people who were kept from 
     acquiring immigrant status here last year because they had 
     been convicted of a felony or had some other serious criminal 
     matter on record with the FBI.
       In the wake of the shooting outside the CIA headquarters in 
     Langley, the World Trade Center bombing in New York and other 
     recent violent incidents, there has been growing public 
     concern that terrorists and other malefactors are too readily 
     entering the United States as immigrants.
       The costs of incarcerating immigrants who commit crimes 
     once they are in this country has been a further cause of 
     concern, lawmakers say.
       With Congress demanding action, President Clinton unveiled 
     a package of proposals July 27 which he said would deal with 
     ``the growing problems of immigrant smuggling and 
     international terrorists hiding behind immigrant status.''
       Among the measures promised was greater coordination among 
     federal agencies.
       Attorney General Janet Reno complained at the announcement 
     ceremony that the INS ``too often did not communicate with 
     law enforcement and vice-versa.'' She said, ``It is 
     imperative that we bring everyone together to communicate to 
     do everything that we can to address the critical issue of 
     terrorism.''
       Demetrios Papademetriou, director of the immigration policy 
     program at the Carnegie Endowment, said, ``On the face of it 
     giving up this form of cooperation with the FBI seems rather 
     inconsistent with the administration's law-and-order body 
     language on immigration.''
       The memorandum ordering the new policy makes clear budget 
     constraints are behind the change. Aside from cases involving 
     orphans coming into the United States, the memorandum calls 
     for a 95 percent cut in FBI fingerprint checks and requires 
     senior regional officials to submit a written justification 
     for every request to INS headquarters.
       Kenney of the INS said no specific criteria had been 
     developed for determining what would now justify a 
     fingerprint check. He said adequate screening would be 
     accomplished by checking applicants' names in data bases with 
     the identities of known criminals.

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