by Lance T. Izumi, Fellow in California Studies
Pacific Research Institute
March 5, 2002

Announcer lead: Time for Perspectives. Lance Izumi says that a new government report shows that our immigration system is in need of repair.

Following September 11th, many asked how our immigration system could allow terrorists to enter our country. A just released report by the U.S. General Accounting Office gives a sobering answer to that question.

The GAO, which is the investigative arm of Congress, found rampant immigration fraud in the naturalization process, the work permit process, and the visa system. Fraud occurs when ineligible aliens lie or use fake documents to enter or remain in the U.S. In one instance, a California INS office reviewed a targeted group of 5,000 work petitions and found 90 percent of them to be fraudulent. Although the exact extent of the fraud problem is unknown, given the examples and patterns cited by the GAO, and the fact that 6 million immigration applications were submitted in 2000, the problem is surely enormous.

Why so much fraud? Many reasons. Ineligible aliens often fill out multiple immigration applications and submit them to different INS offices. One INS office may deny an application, but another may approve it. Also, some INS workers spend only 15 minutes on an application, which effectively prevents checking for fraud. Further, there’s little follow-up on fraud leads. The Los Angeles INS office receives 200 leads a month, but few are investigated.

The consequences of immigration fraud are serious. The GAO says that fraud has become an intense problem as criminal aliens and terrorists have used the application process in order to carry out crimes of violence, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism. In one shocking case, the New York INS office approved a terrorist’s residency application even though that individual had a criminal history.

The GAO recommends that the INS develop better internal coordination, better guidance for investigators, better balance between processing and investigating cases, better tracking systems, and better databases of applications. Until we plug the holes in our immigration system, Americans will never be able to rest easy.

With a perspective, I’m Lance Izumi.

Lance Izumi is the Director of Center for School Reform at the California-based Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached via email at lizumi@pacificresearch.org.