Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

FBI Name Checks Stall Immigration

Program still understaffed 6 years after 9/11; would-be citizens frustrated

By Evelyn Renold,  Newser User

Posted Jun 27, 2007 4:13 AM CDT

(Newser) – Bureaucratic bottlenecks are causing such long delays for prospective citizens, reports the Houston Chronicle, that hundreds of frustrated immigrants are now suing the federal government to try to speed up their background checks. Immigration Service figures show that about 16% of cases—over 51,000 people—have been pending between one and two years.

The FBI name checks program, made more rigorous after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, "may be the single biggest obstacle to timely and efficient...immigration," according to an Immigration Services ombudsman in a recent report to Congress. An FBI spokesman said the delay was the result of a "lack of resources and the sheer volume of requests."

Said Mohamed lives in an apartment in Hollywood, Florida, with sons Adel Elsayed, front, and Emad Elsayed. His wife and oldest child Kamal Elsayed can't get into the United States.
Said Mohamed lives in an apartment in Hollywood, Florida, with sons Adel Elsayed, front, and Emad Elsayed. His wife and oldest child Kamal Elsayed can't get into the United States.   (KRT Photos)
US NEWS IMMIGRATION-PATHS 1 CC
US NEWS IMMIGRATION-PATHS 1 CC   (KRT Photos)
Several Hundred New Citizens Sworn In On Independence Day
Several Hundred New Citizens Sworn In On Independence Day   (Getty Images)
US NEWS IMMIGRATION-PATHS 1 CC
US NEWS IMMIGRATION-PATHS 1 CC   (KRT Photos)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

FBI Swamped With Checking on Immigrants

FBI Bails on Immigrant Probes as Backlogs Mount

Immigrants Facing Epic Citizenship Delays

Immigration Fees Skyrocket

Problems Plague Immigration Agency


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne