June 10, 2008, 4:27AM

FBI's name check system criticized

By SUSAN CARROLL and STEWART M. POWELL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

PRESIDENT ORDERS EMPLOYEE CHECK

President Bush has signed an executive order requiring contractors and others who do business with the federal government to make sure their employees can legally work in the U.S. The order is aimed at cracking down on hiring of illegal immigrants. But people who overstayed visas or came to the country legally but do not have permission to work, such as some students, also could be snagged.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The FBI's name check program relies on outdated technology and employs workers with limited training, raising concerns about the government's ability to assess national security threats, according to the Justice Department's watchdog inspector general.

The number of requests filed with the FBI National Name Check Program has ballooned since Sept. 11, 2001, growing from 2.7 million to 4 million in fiscal year 2007.

In response to the demand, the FBI has increased staffing in the name check unit, but the inspector general report released Monday found problems with the program persist.

The audit found the "methods for conducting name checks rely on outdated and ineffective technology, staff and contractors who have limited supervision and training, inadequate quality control measures and inconsistent use of production goals for name check analysts."

As a result, the report said, the name check backlog "causes delays in the (Department of Homeland Security's) efforts to assess potential national security threats residing in the United States and adjudicate applicants' requests for immigration benefits."

As of March, the FBI had more than 327,000 immigration name check requests pending, with 90 percent more than 30 days old, and more than 110,000 pending for more than a year, according to the inspector general's report.

The FBI blamed the backlog in part on a joint decision with immigration officials to "re-run" 2.7 million names through a more in-depth name check process following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Corrective actions implemented over several years have improved the (name check) operations, resulting in record numbers of completed name checks and a reduced backlog," said FBI Assistant Director John Miller.

The FBI Office of General Counsel reported more than 6,000 court filings seeking to compel the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to grant or deny immigration benefits have been recorded since 2005.

In May, Yasser Ouwad, 36, filed a complaint in federal court in Houston to compel the government to process his naturalization application, which has been pending since 2004. Ouwad has lived in Houston as a legal permanent resident since 1996.

"I have built a life here," Ouwad said. "I have a U.S.-citizen wife and daughter. I should be treated equally and be able to vote, the same as everyone else."

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