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Audit says FBI name-check process is problematic |
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By Cheryl Wittenauer, The Associated Press
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ST. LOUIS — Serious deficiencies in how the FBI checks the backgrounds of immigrants seeking to become citizens can lead to delays for those who are here legally and impede the deportation of applicants who are threats, according to an audit released June 9.
The audit by the Office of Inspector General found that the FBI’s name-check system relies on outdated and inefficient technology, inadequately trained personnel, overburdened supervisors, and inadequate quality-assurance measures. Problems in the process have created large backlogs and raised questions about the reliability of resulting information, the audit found. On June 6, 33 Muslim immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship in Missouri filed a federal class-action lawsuit here claiming they have been left in limbo for months or years because of slow background checks. The suit seeks to have a federal judge enforce time limits on such checks. FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said the agency has eliminated old cases, has increased fees to hire more record-checkers and is building a new central records complex. "It boils down to volume versus resources," he said. "We have not had enough resources to address it."
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