Republicans on Friday called for a comprehensive review of the U.S. visa system after reports that the female attacker in the San Bernardino mass shooting pledged allegiance on Facebook to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).The suspect, Tashfeen Malik, came to the U.S. on a special K-1 visa last year, raising new questions about potential vulnerabilities in the immigration system. That special K-1 visa allows foreigners to come to America to marry a U.S. citizen. Under the rules, a couple must wed within 90 days or face deportation of the foreign individual.
Lawmakers are pledging a close review of the K-1 visas, but time restraints could make it difficult for lawmakers to address potential K-1 security gaps before leaving Washington for the holidays.
“In light of the renewed terrorist threat, we need to take a look at our entire visa program to enhance our national security. This incident highlights the very real security threat throughout the system,” Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.), the GOP Policy Committee chairman and a member of leadership, told The Hill on Friday.
“Experts in the field now say that terrorists recognize that passports, visas and immigration documents are now weapons in the war on terror.”
But Messer said it would be difficult — though not impossible — to deal with K-1 visas in the visa-waivers bill that the House is expected to pass net week.
“We need to look at K-1 visas as part of the broader policy debate,” he added. “If it can’t be dealt with next week, it will need to be dealt with early next year.”
| Or the year after, or the decade after. And you'll need 60 votes in the Senate because the Democrats won't do anything that restricts immigration, even if it puts national security at risk. |
According to The New York Times, Farook applied for a permanent resident green card for Malik in September 2014. A conditional green card was granted earlier this summer but only after the couple proved their marriage was legitimate and after Malik passed criminal and national security background checks.
| Shows the weakness in the system right there: she was clean, came to the country, and started building pipe bombs in her new love nest... |
"What you do is you try to think like the enemy. How can they penetrate the homeland? One of the concerns has been an arranged marriage where a terrorist organization will pick the mate to marry ... one already in the United States legally, and create a marriage of jihadist," Graham told Fox Business News.
| And when they do that they'll be as professional as the KGB was. They'll have convincing cover stories, documents and records. Any usual inspection will show them to be "clean". It will take time and cost money but ISIS will do that. |