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Since its inception last year, the National Security Entry-Exit
Registration System (NSEERS) has stopped 330 known foreign criminals and
three known terrorists who attempted to come into the country at certain
official ports of entry. In addition, the targeted registration of certain
foreign nationals already in the country has resulted in the apprehension of
15 illegal alien felons.
Naturally, Sen. Teddy Kennedy, D-Afghanistan, wants to stop the
Bush administration from using NSEERS to catch any more criminal aliens and
illegal aliens who pose law enforcement threats to America.
Among the scumbags caught by the NSEERS program that Kennedy
wants to eliminate:
-- a Tunisian convicted of multiple drug-trafficking offenses,
in addition to previous violations of immigration law;
-- a national of the Dominican Republic convicted of aggravated
assault and burglary on a prior visit to the United States and who had been
deported after that prior visit;
-- a Canadian with multiple narcotics convictions;
-- an Iranian who had been convicted three times of assault with
a deadly weapon and had been convicted twice of grand theft in addition to
immigration violations;
-- an Iranian twice convicted of child molestation;
-- an Iranian who had been convicted of theft and narcotics
possession;
-- and two suspected al Qaeda operatives who were caught trying
to enter the U.S. after their fingerprints matched ones lifted by our
military officials from papers found in Afghanistan caves.
Late last week, as The Washington Post first reported, Kennedy
slipped a sneaky provision into the Senate's omnibus appropriations bill
that would have completely cut off funding for the national security
registration system.
Kennedy's legislative sabotage would have also forced Attorney
General John Ashcroft to turn over to the Senate appropriations committee
sensitive information, including all documents: "used in the creation of the
NSEERS program, including any predecessor programs; assessing the
effectiveness of the NSEERS program as a tool to enhance national security;
used to determine the scope of the NSEERS program, including countries
selected for the program, and the gender, age, and immigration status of the
persons required to register under the program; regarding future plans to
expand the NSEERS program to additional countries, age groups, women, and
persons holding other immigration statuses not already covered; concerning
policy directives or guidance issued to officials about implementation of
NSEERS, including the role of the FBI in conducting national security
background checks of registrants . . . and explaining how information
gathered during interviews of registrants will be stored, used, or
transmitted to other Federal, State, or local agencies.''
Kennedy tucked this piece of pro-terror mischief into an
amendment, sponsored by Arizona's GOP Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl,
aimed at restoring funding for a larger foreign visitor tracking system.
That entry-exit system was mandated in 1996 and is supposed to be in place
by 2005. Congressional sources told me it was a "mistake" that the Kennedy
language defunding NSEERS was included. They blamed haphazardness and
confusion during last-minute negotiations for the appalling oversight.
Translation: Somebody screwed up.
Kennedy's opposition to NSEERS is well-known. He signed a letter
last month, along with Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Sen. Russ Feingold,
D-Wis., demanding that the program be suspended.
Immigration lawyers, ethnic lobbyists and civil liberties
extremists aligned with Kennedy have been up in arms over NSEERS, despite
the fact that the program is in line with alien registration systems around
the world -- and despite the fact that not a single illegal alien has
actually been kicked out yet as a result of being caught through NSEERS.
Yes, you read that right. Although the program has successfully
barred new criminal alien threats from entering America, NSEERS cannot
overcome the broken deportation system supported by Kennedy and Company. "No
one has been deported yet," Justice Department official and NSEERS expert
Kris Kobach noted at a press briefing earlier this month. That's because the
shadowy immigration court system of hearings and endless appeals enables
illegal aliens and criminal aliens to be bonded or paroled out of federal
custody during the deportation process -- and then disappear. (Read more at
www.deportaliens.com, run by an anonymous Justice Department whistleblower.)
NSEERS is worthless if this catch-and-release system remains in
place. Teddy Kennedy and his staff know this dirty little secret. Will the
Republicans ever get on the ball and fight back?
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