http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3682079

Espionage, fraud and corruption plague the Department of Homeland Security agency that oversees applications for those seeking residency in the U.S., a former director of the agency said Thursday.

Michael Maxwell, who resigned in February from the Office of Security and Investigations at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, presented testimony to the House Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation.

‘‘The immigration process is flawed and is being exploited internally and externally by criminals, terrorists, and foreign intelligence agencies,'' he said to lawmakers at the hearing. ‘‘I know there are good men and women in the agency would like nothing more than to do their part in fixing this broken system.''

The former director also is expected to provide private testimony regarding classified documents, which he could not discuss at the public hearings.

Maxwell said the Office of Security and Investigations offered incentives, such as extra vacation time, to employees who expedited citizenship applications without completing background checks on individuals. In some instances, immigration officials were asked to approve 16 applications in an hour, he said.

That would mean three minutes for each application, which wouldn't provide ample time for checks, he said.

Other allegations dealt with internal fraud and deception within the department. More than 500 criminal complaints against the agency's employees -- including harboring illegal immigrants, bribery, money laundering and aiding known terrorists or being influenced by foreign intelligence services -- have yet to be investigated, Maxwell said.

‘‘As a former police chief and national security specialist, I do not make these charges lightly,'' Maxwell said. ‘‘More recently, I have provided, the same documents to the FBI, the GAO (Government Accountability Office), and the DHS Office of the Inspector General.''

The agency's director, Emilio Gonzalez, has said that the Homeland Security Department's inspector general will investigate reports of fraud and sloppy procedures. Gonzalez also has insisted that security concerns come first even though the agency is under pressure to get through a backlog of immigration applications.

Maxwell, however, claims such things should have been investigated immediately.

Among the former director's allegations:

-- A Chinese-born U.S. citizen and agency employee allowed a family member to access the Treasury Enforcement Communications System -- the database used to ensure applicants are not terrorists or criminals. The employee printed records from the database and then left the building with those records, Maxwell said.

‘‘We do not know what records this person accessed or why, and yet this allegation is not being investigated because (Office of Security and Investigations) criminal investigators are already stretched to their limits.''

-- The agency also employed an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen suspected of being a foreign intelligence agent to review asylum applications.

‘‘These breaches compromise virtually every part of the immigration system itself, leaving vulnerabilities that have been and likely are being exploited by criminals and adversaries of the United States,'' Maxwell said.

But spokeswoman Angelica Alfonso-Royals said Thursday the agency's top priority ‘‘continues to be preserving and enhancing the integrity of the immigration system.'' She added that the agency has confidence in the system, but continually strives for improvement and ‘‘it takes allegations seriously.''

Maxwell isn't the only Department of Homeland Security employee to complain publicly about the flaws in protecting the internal security of the United States. Employees with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have spoken out about what they see is a broken system and national security failure.

Scott James, a former Tucson sector Border Patrol agent, resigned from his post in February, alleging that his job on the border was nothing more than a ‘‘sham,'' and that officials within the Department of Homeland Security continually covered up flaws in the agency.

‘‘It's a disaster -- how many sign posts do you have to have to protect the national security of our country?'' James said. ‘‘You have reliable intelligence that gangs, terrorists and others are possibly going to come across our southern border but nothing has changed. DHS is good at convincing the American public that something is being done, but in reality they have never done that.''

Maxwell is expected to provide more testimony to lawmakers in coming months.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Sara A. Carter can be reached by e-mail at sara.carter@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8552.