U.S. embassies fail on visa watch

In the wake of the Christmas Day terrorist bombing attempt, new attention is being focused on the visa application process at U.S. embassies.

In a letter sent this week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) blamed "objections and roadblocks from the State Department" for the delay in creating visa security units at high-risk, overseas posts, according to an article on govexec.com.

The State Department has been directed under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to assign Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to embassies worldwide to help process visa applications. But many embassies don't have budgets to increase personnel for this task.  "It is extremely troubling that an ambassador can inhibit the ability of the [Department of Homeland Security] in carrying out its mission," Grassley wrote.

The story of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who tried to blow up a Northwest airplane headed for Detroit, is well-known by now. He received a U.S, visa in London and retained it even though his father warned officials in Nigeria that his son could be a threat. There are no visa security units in the London or Nigerian embassies that might have raised a flag about this young Nigerian.

In addition, he was not on an operative watch list, although his name had been placed on a list that was never circulated after his father complained about him.

 For more on secure visas:
- see this GovernmentExecutive.com article

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