Thread: CSpan: Chertoff speaking to House Committee (7:20am)

Quoting specifics about border security, state of programs, ports of entry, etc.

www.cspan.org

or via Cable.

...Just FYI.

7:22 am 7/18/08

Just mentioning the McDonalds / Mack Enterprises 1 million fine.

Plugging E-Verify;

Saying less than 1% of those screened trigger 'false positives'.

Saying also that many peopled are not immediately verified, many of them try to challenge that determination... and later, LOSE.
(Translation: Most of those that question the Negative determination - don't have legal authority to work here!)

Congressman Thompson (chair) now speaking / questioning Chertoff.

Thompson asking about E-Verify and it's impact/use on small business.

Chertoff replies - it has been easy to implement and the business that he visited was very happy with it.

Rep Peter King (R-NY) now questioning Chertoff.

Asking Chertoff about Visa Waiver program with particular interest as applied to EU countries...

Chertoff responds - says that they're very interested in accurately tracking Western Europeans in particular. Also mentions recent efforts of terror groups trying to mask their movements/identities to gain entry into US.
"We have a good degree of confidence we can catch people trying to sneak in" (but no guarantees too).

King: "What is level of cooperation from visa waiver countries?"

Chertoff: "I'd say overall it is pretty good". Cites Britain, French, Germans, Italians, etc.

Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) questions Chertoff: Mentioning Exit portion of US-Visit program; especially in reference to applied to airlines.

Chertoff: re: US-Visit - Overdue, Congress has clamored for us to do it.
Congress must pay for this. It is a money issue. The airlines have objected and we'l consider those objections.

Explains that the airlines have resisted implementing the program. Don't like idea of having to check 'people out'. Don't like added costs to do it.

Sanchez: Biometrics and checking people's ID is not an airline responsibility, but is a government responsibility.

There has been a spike in corruption in our agents across the border.
(References scaling up of labor force). What accounts for greater corruption problems.

Chertoff: More people, more likelihood of corruption.
2nd: more desparation - more desperate people do more desperate things.
Allegations of corruption are investigated rigorously.

Sorry, had to be away for a bit...

Rep Dent (R-PA) asking about those IA/immigrants with pending deportation orders whose parent countries won't take these people back. (cites 139,000 total numbers) Names China, India, Laos, Eritrea, Vietnam, etc.
Also mentions that the SCOTUS has determined that people being held in such a manner cannot be held indefinitely.

Chertoff explained that the mere threat of pulling visas issued to those countries has gained some lukewarm cooperation in accepting deported persons - but overall not all that much. Says it is a complicated problem and is very complex to deal with and solve.

Rep Castle has threatened to end issuing visas to those countries for visit privileges for other citizens as a means to expedite repatriation.

Thanks, PhredE.

Originally Posted by MW

Thanks, PhredE.

Ubetcha MW, you're welcome.