Why Wasn't #SanBernardinoShooting Perp Tashfeen Malik Vetted For Her Visa?

tashfeen malik

Flash back for a second to the argument after the Islamist shooting in Paris and before the Islamist shooting in San Bernardino. Remember how we were assured that Syrian refugees would be given rigorous vetting by US authorities?

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The Obama administration is assuring governors that refugees who come to the United States in its resettlement program undergo a “rigorous security vetting process,” particularly if they are fleeing from Syria.

“In short, the security vetting for this population — the most vulnerable of individuals — is extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive,” Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson write in letters sent to all state and territorial governors and to the mayor of Washington. D.C.

A refugee applicant cannot be approved for travel and admission to the U.S. until all required security checks have been completed and cleared, according to the letter to Cuomo. The vetting process includes:

—An interview with the U.N. high commissioner for refugees to determine if the applicant meets the definition of refugee and to see if any “red flags” would render the applicant ineligible.

—A referral by the UNHCR to the U.S., after which a resettlement support center contracted by the State Department conducts interviews, collects documents and initiates a security check conducted by the U.S. government.

—A biographic check conducted by the State Department that includes checking the applicant against names in the various law enforcement and intelligence databases and watch lists.

—A referral to U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services at the Homeland Security Department, which oversees refugee status interviews and additional security vetting with a focus on security checks. Fingerprints are collected from those ages 14 to 79 and screened against records held by the FBI, the Homeland Security Department and the Defense Department.

—Personal refugee status interviews conducted by highly trained refugee officers of Citizen and Immigration Services, who have also received special training regarding Syrian refugees.

—A vetting by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before the applicant arrives at a port of entry, followed by additional background checks upon arrival.

—A determination of an appropriate resettlement site in the U.S. by the State Department and the Health and Human Services Department.

“With these measures in place, we believe that we are able to both protect the American people and maintain this nation’s long-standing position as the world’s beacon of hope and freedom,” Kerry and Johnson write.

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I argued at the time that this vetting process is a) in the hands of the UNHCR which is poxed to its eyebrows with terrorist sympathizers and b) relies upon information that cannot be verified because points of origin are in Islamist controlled territory so there are no police, school, etc. records to rely upon.

Where am I going with this? Well, Tashfeen Malik, jihadi bride and one of the deceased San Bernardino shooters was not a US citizen. She was, according to ABC News:

Malik, who was born in Pakistan, moved to Saudi Arabia 25 years ago when she was about four years old. When she was older, she likely moved back and forth between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, according to a source close to the Saudi Arabian government.

Note that both these countries are allegedly friendly to one extent or another. When she applied for her visa, the K1, fiance, visa, she did so while a university student in Multan, Pakistan. So what is it like to get a K1 visa? Well, let’s turn to MSNBC because there we will see what the Administration wants us to believe:

The fiancé visa program has one of the more rigorous security screening processes — presenting far more hurdles than other avenues for foreigners to enter the U.S.

It requires an applicant to submit a standard non-immigrant form, with personal and security questions, plus certificates from police in every country in which an applicant has lived for more than six months, a medical examination, a passport, documentation of financial support, proof of the relationship with a U.S. citizen and various fees. Applicants who are granted a fiancé visa receive a sealed file of personal and government documents, which must be kept sealed and presented to security officials upon entry to the U.S.

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Back to ABC News:

For the visa application, the address she listed in her Pakistani hometown, ABC News discovered today, does not exist. Malik received a her Green Card this summer, U.S. officials said.

So the K1 visa which was granted in a relatively friendly nation at peace within its borders. The applicant had to present a detailed biographical form and had to provide police certificates attesting that she had no record of misconduct. Yet the address she listed does not exist. This leads to the inescapable conclusion that even for visas in safe areas that no one really checks the information. If a fake address is able to get through why not a fake proof of identification?

Does this make you feel comfortable? Me neither. And you are going to tell me that a refugee in a camp in Turkey is going to be vetted to a higher standard?

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