A Quick Correction

In my last post I stated that the San Bernardino attacker, Tashfeen Malik, was not interviewed before being allowed to enter the United States. A good friend of mine (who is in the know) pointed out that this was incorrect, so I did some additional research. Here is what I found.

1.  Malik was attempting to enter the United States on a K-1 "fiancé visa." She did not meet her husband in person before being allowed to enter. The initial reports were that Malik was not interviewed. This report stemmed from statements made to Congress by Leon Rodriguez, the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. According to Mr. Rodriguez: "We only interview people in the K-1 Visa program where there is some issue that needs to be explored." He also reported that Malik's application did not "raise any red flags," so he could not say whether she was interviewed.

2.  Malik was in fact interviewed. The agency official who interviewed Malik followed the standard protocol, including a mandatory interview. Malik was asked a series of questions designed to test whether she actually knew her future husband, or whether her application was a sham. She passed two additional mandatory background checks, as did her future husband.

3.  Malik was not asked about radical social media posts or her Jihadist leanings. There are two reasons for this. First, her application did not raise red flags, so no further inquiry was deemed necessary. Second, social media postings are either "off limits" or "rarely checked" for K-1 applicants, depending on which anonymous administration official is providing the story.

Final Thoughts

There is room for disagreement about whether our immigration system is robust or broken, efficient or inefficient. I am, however, less comforted after doing additional research. Rather than circumventing our immigration system as I originally stated, these terrorists actually followed the procedures to the letter (aside from lying about their intentions). That fact reminds us of the Bush era mantra: "We have to be right 100% of the time. They only have to get lucky once." There is little doubt in my mind that our brave men and women on the front lines, both here and abroad, are doing everything in their power to prevent another attack. There is little doubt in my mind that additional, likely worse attacks, have been thwarted. But, the terrorists got lucky and Americans were attacked. More Americans are likely to be attacked. If we can provide more resources and a better framework for those on the front lines, we will have a better outcome. The future of our nation depends on it.