Department of Homeland Security inspector general report cites traffickers’ use of U.S. visa programs
WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, responded Tuesday to the report released this week by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security finding that human traffickers have exploited the fiancé and work visa programs in order to bring victims to the United States. The chairman said:
“This alarming report identified vulnerabilities in the fiancé and work visa process. Communication gaps between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allowed known human traffickers to bring victims into the United States. This is on the heels of the attack in San Bernardino, in which terrorists used the fiancé visa program to gain entry into the United States and attack Americans on U.S. soil.
“These failures demand a thorough review of the U.S. visa system. We must find out how federal agencies are communicating with one another to ensure that dangerous individuals are not able to exploit these programs.”
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