Immigration fraud investigations? Forget it

Washington Post:

U.S. immigration agents investigated only 139 suspected fraud cases referred by the main anti-fraud unit of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services last year, or less than 1 percent of 1 percent of about 6 million applications for citizenship, green cards and other benefits, federal investigators reported yesterday.

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, Richard L. Skinner, blamed a DHS policy set in February 2006 requiring that 100 percent of suspect applications be investigated, saying it overwhelmed claims officers and immigration investigators with work, rendering the policy all but useless.

"The current USCIS strategy for addressing immigration benefit fraud yields little measurable return," Skinner's office reported. Instead, agents diverted resources to higher priority national security and criminal background checks. DHS officials want to change the blanket policy but have not decided how, Skinner said.

Agency spokesman Christopher Bentley said that "USCIS remains committed" to improving anti-fraud efforts along with its sister investigative agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Neither ICE nor USCIS can help the fact the volume of potential fraud cases significantly exceeds the capability of both agencies," USCIS Director Emilio T. Gonzalez wrote Skinner in a formal response.

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Gonzales' statement reflects the attitude that has plagued the rule of law when it comes to immigration in this country for years. It is not an acceptable answer. What Gonzales must do is go to Congress and tell them the resources he needs to adequately enforce the law. Congress then should either provide those resources or change the law.