An internal Homeland Security Department audit released Monday found the 858 immigrants came from countries that pose a national security risk to the United States or countries with high rates of immigration fraud.
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The incomplete records present a problem because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rely on that information, in part, when reviewing applications for U.S. citizenship.
It recommends the remaining older fingerprint records be digitized and that DHS review “the eligibility of each naturalized citizen whose fingerprint records reveal deportation orders under a different identity” and decide whether to seek denaturalization.
According to the watchdog report, the immigrants were able to get approval because their digital fingerprints were not included in DHS or Federal Bureau of Investigation databases.
In a fourth case, an individual is working law enforcement.
The inspector general report describes the fingerprint records as “incomplete”. Roth’s report confirmed that fingerprints for up to 350,000 immigrants now facing deportation or who are fugitive criminals are missing or do not exist.
The individuals came from countries that pose a national-security risk to the USA, or those which are routine hotbeds of immigration fraud, the auditor reported.
Fingerprint records are said to be missing because paper-based fingerprint cards used before 2008 were not consistently digitized, the report says. While USCIS protocol requires the adjudicator to check applicants’ fingerprints, in both DHS’ and the FBI’s digital repositories, neither of those databases had all the old fingerprint records for those candidates, the OIG report said. Officials say they are in the process of searching and uploading files that may enable them to at least identify some of the illegals who have defrauded the system. As long as the older fingerprint records have not been digitized and included in the repositories, USCIS risks making naturalization decisions without complete information and, as a result, naturalizing additional individuals who may be ineligible for citizenship or who may be trying to obtain USA citizenship fraudulently.
According to the report, at least three of the individuals granted citizenship work in security-sensitive work but have since had their credentials revoked.
Roth’s report said federal prosecutors have accepted two criminal cases that led to the immigrants being stripped of their citizenship. Homeland Security says officials will review “every file” identified as a case of possible fraud.
Investigators found that in more than 200 cases, none of the individuals disclosed they had another identity or final deportation orders on their naturalization application.
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“This situation created opportunities for individuals to gain the rights and privileges of United States citizenship through fraud”, said DHS Inspector General John Roth.
