Once again Jerry Seper, the investigative editor of the Washington Times, has written an important news report about a component of the immigration system, “USCIS official’s transfer probed Whistle blown on ‘negligence and mishandling’ of records”.
That is the immigration system that is “supposed” to secure our borders from unlawful entry, effectively and fairly enforce the immigration laws from within the interior of the United States and adjudicate applications for a wide variety of immigration benefits including the conferring of resident alien status and United States citizenship upon aliens.
His article appears in the Tuesday, the 19th of October edition of the Washington Times and focuses on the apparent reprisals taken against a high ranking member of USCIS, (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), the agency that is responsible for adjudicating all of the various applications for immigration benefits as I noted above.
It is also extremely important that you bear in mind, as you read my commentary and the news report that served as the predication for my commentary, that it is USCIS that would be put in charge of the outrageous bit of legislation known as “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” that would, if passed, provide tens of millions of illegal aliens with a pathway to citizenship under whatever name the aliens involved wanted to claim were their true identities! The open borders advocates like to refer to illegal aliens as being “undocumented” and in point of fact the concept of undocumented means that these aliens do not possess a single shred of official documentation that reliably verifies their true name, date of birth, country of birth or other factors which would be of critical importance in determining possible criminal histories in foreign countries, possible involvement with criminal or terrorist organizations or other such extremely important information.
It is remarkable that such “leaders” as Senator Chuck Schumer, the Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee and Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security that I have come to refer to as Homeland Surrender, have repeatedly said that the borders are now secure an consequently it is time for the government to enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform!
Those of you who are familiar with my writings and my Congressional testimony as well as statements I have made in addressing Comprehensive Immigration Reform know that I have a list of reasons that compel me to be diametrically opposed to Comprehensive Immigration Reform- but for now I will simply address two main points.
1. The borders are so far from secure it is an outrage that anyone would even attempt to make such an unbelievable statement! It demonstrates utter contempt for the citizens of our nation and the apparent belief that the citizens of our country are utter idiots!
2. The issue of border security is important in considering Comprehensive Immigration Reform but becomes nearly trivial when you stop and consider the most important issue about whether or not such a program could be implemented that would have even sliver of integrity. The issue of integrity needs to be considered before the issue of border security is even mentioned and the integrity of this massive program would rest squarely on the shoulders of USCIS- and agency that time and time and time again has been shown to be inept, incompetent and corrupt! The news report in today’s Washington Times is simply the most recent of a long line of news reports prepared by news organizations as well as official government agencies such as the GAO (General Accountability Office) and the OIG (Office of the Inspector General)- also thought of as “Internal Affairs.”
The alternative title for Jerry Seper’s excellent report could be, “At DHS The Truth Will Set You Free- Free To Stand On The Unemployment Line!”
Here are a couple of sentences from the news report that cut to the chase:
The Office of Special Counsel is investigating the involuntary transfer of a top official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services who reported suspected “gross negligence and mishandling” of more than 600 certificates of citizenship and naturalization.
The office, established in the 1970s to protect whistleblowers and shield federal employees against improper management pressures, is expected to issue a report in the matter shortly. A 45-day emergency stay that the agency won in the case expires Friday.
Maria Aran, the immigration service’s chief of staff in Miami, had been reassigned as a supervisory adjudications officer in Tampa, Fla., after reporting that hundreds of certificates of citizenship and naturalization had been voided without due cause, were unaccounted for, had not been verified as issued, were issued as duplicates, or were routinely left unsecured.*
It is important to know that a Certificate of Naturalization is a very important identity document that enables naturalized citizens to provide clear evidence of their identity and the fact that they are citizens of the United States. A Certificate of Naturalization can be used as a “stand alone” document to satisfy the requirements of the Form I-9 used by people seeking a job in the United States. It is a document that is also important as prima facia evidence for a naturalized citizen who applies for a United States passport and needs to provide evidence of his (her) citizenship and identity.
To put it succinctly, the Certificate of Naturalization can ultimately represent the key to the front door of the United States.
Here is another quote from the news report that fleshes out the situation involving USCIS’ alleged treatment of one of its employees:
Maria Aran, the immigration service’s chief of staff in Miami, had been reassigned as a supervisory adjudications officer in Tampa, Fla., after reporting that hundreds of certificates of citizenship and naturalization had been voided without due cause, were unaccounted for, had not been verified as issued, were issued as duplicates, or were routinely left unsecured.
Ms. Aran had been given 10 days to accept the move or be terminated. The delay, ordered by Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) after a hearing, put that order on hold while OSC completed its investigation, continued settlement negotiations and determined what further action was warranted.*
To think that a high ranking employee who discovered that some 600 of these extremely important documents had gone missing and was then allegedly retaliated against for filing that report should keep all of us awake at night. Of course it is upsetting to think that someone in our government who is looking out for our safety is being retaliated against but what is even worse is that if the allegations of retaliation are true, then there is clear confirmation that the culture of a division of the Department of Homeland *Surrender* is more concerned with covering up vulnerabilities than closing those serious holes in the system.
I make this statement because I want you to think about the message that the proposed adverse action has on other employees of USCIS- come forward about a serious problem and face a nightmare that may end your career! It would certainly appear that for an employee of USCIS to come forward with information about nonfeasance, misfeasance or malfeasance is the equivalent of calling an airstrike on your own position!
Employees of any organization are uniquely qualified to know what is going on within the organization they work for. This is why whistleblowers are so important. When an insider is attacked for coming forward the likelihood that more insiders will dare speak out in the future is greatly diminished. This is not an uncommon problem, but especially in this perilous era where issues that potentially impact national security is concerned- employees such as Ms. Aran should be rewarded and certainly not attacked!
It is unacceptable that the citizens of this nation be alienated by their own government especially where border security and the enforcement and administration of our nation’s immigration laws are concerned!
A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!
November 2nd cannot come fast enough!
We the People, throughout this nation must seek opportunities to make it clear to our political “representatives” that we understand their game plan and won’t tolerate it!
I believe our nation’s is greatly benefited by the rich diversity of our people which is why I could never imagine living anywhere except New York City, arguably the most diverse city in our nation if not, in fact, the world. However, my idea of diversity most certainly does not include members of MS-13, the Mexican drug cartels and members of al-Qaeda!
If reading this makes it difficult for you to sleep now- perhaps you could do something worthwhile- perhaps you might spend a couple of your sleepless hours writing letters to your elected representatives this evening and remind them that Election Day is just months away!
We the People can add to the consternation of these politicians who are failing to live up to their oaths of office by contacting them and making it abundantly clear that election day is coming and they should think of election day as their personal “Day of Reckoning!”
Our government must live up to its obligation of protecting its own citizens and, indeed, all who are present in our country from the criminals and terrorists who would threaten our lives and the survival of our nation and our way of life. In the end, the government is actually those who are elected to act as our “leaders.” Those who fail to truly lead and look out for those they are supposed to represent, need to be sent packing this coming Election Day!
If our country is to survive and if our children and their children are to get their share of the “American Dream” the citizens of this nation must take their citizenship seriously!
We the People must be the best citizens we can be, citizens who are worthy of the gallantry demonstrated by our valiant men and women in the military, law enforcement and firefighters, who routinely go in harm’s way in defense of this nation and our citizens.
My goal in writing this and other commentaries is to point out our nations many failings before more victims pay the ultimate price for the incompetence and ineptitude of our government.
The first step in problem-solving is to first identify the problems and vulnerabilities and then devise strategies to overcome them.
Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the outrageous betrayal that this would represent given the national security implications that this program would have, should be shown the door at the next election!
If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same. We need to create a “Bucket Brigade of Truth!”
In just under two weeks, each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection and more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!
However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there.
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians. I implore you to get involved!
If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation!
All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are!
We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.
This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated; this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!
You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
