Who Thought Making It Easier To Obtain A K-1 Visa Was A Good Idea??
[guest post by Dana]
As we now know, Syed Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik was brought to the United States in 2014 on a K-1 visa, also known as a fiancee visa. According to the FBI, it is now believed that Malik was “radicalized” before she entered the United States.
At a Senate Judiciary hearing on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey expressed serious concerns about K-1 visas and whether “jihadi matchmaking” is taking place as a result:
“What data we’ve collected, the intelligence indicates that she was [radicalized] before she connected with the other killer and came here,” the FBI chief said.
“Is there any evidence that this marriage was arranged by a terrorist organization, a terrorist operative, or was it just a meeting on the Internet?” Graham asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that yet,” Comey replied.
“Do you agree with me that if it was arranged by a terrorist operative or organization, that is a game changer?” the senator continued.
“It would be a very, very important thing to know,” said Comey. “That’s why we’re working so hard to understand it.”
“Well, that’s the biggest focus, I think, of how it would change the game, that they could actually arrange a marriage of two like-minded individuals, use the fiance visa system to get into the country,” Graham said.
According to this report, under the Obama administration, it has become easier to obtain the K-1 visas:
Since 2009, President Barack Obama’s deputies have streamlined the process so that it can all be accomplished completely online–without any face-to-face check with a U.S. embassy official.
There were 24,486,536 tourist, business and other arrivals in the U.S. from residents of the 38 friendly nations on the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Since Obama took office, the number of visas issued per year to non-friendly, non-waiver residents has jumped by over 50 percent to 9,932,480 last year.
The fastest-growing sector of the program is the “Fiancé Visa” program, known as “K-1,” which jumped from 30,290 in 2013 to 41,488 in 2014. San Bernardino terrorist Tashfeen Malik was one of them.
Online companies have recently sprung up where people can apply for the visas. There is even a cable television show that “tracked people each week from around the globe who were trolling on Facebook to arrange a marriage proposal as a backdoor into America”.
Now, due to changes made by the Obama administration, applicants are no longer required to visit a U.S. embassy to have their picture taken in person and fingerprinting done. Instead:
The 90-day fiancé visa supposedly requires a passport, police certificates from the country of residence, medical examination records, evidence of financial support, and evidence of meeting and having a relationship with an American fiancé. But the Obama administration streamlined the process so that it can all be accomplished completely online.
While immigration attorneys claim that the fiancee visa process is a very stringent one, others see problems with it:
Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, said Friday that terrorists have “found a back door” through the K-1 visa program, while Dan Stein of the Federation for American Immigration Reform said the visa process “has some holes in it.”
In spite of the painfully obvious concerns and proven risks, the White House announced today that it will not suspend the program while it’s being reviewed:
The White House said Thursday that it won’t seek an immediate suspension of the “fiancee” visa program, under which the female terrorist in the massacre of 14 people in California last week entered the U.S.
“This is something that is under careful review” by the administration, said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. He added that if the review by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security recommends changes to the K-1 visa program, President Obama “won’t hesitate to order those reforms.”
As Aman Thind, project director for immigration with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, put it:
“There will always be a few people who get through the system, but this should not mean we shouldn’t reunite people who love each other and want to raise families here,” Thind said. “I really can’t stress enough that we shouldn’t let the actions of two individuals dictate policies that help so many.”
Hey, it’s all about the lovebirds.
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (86e864) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:03 pmIf Obama were on the other side, what would he be doing differently ?
I’m not saying he is but I just wonder.
Mike K (90dfdc) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:05 pmMike K asked, If Obama were on the other side, what would he be doing differently ?
The answer is he wouldn’t do anything differently, he’s already doing all he can while retaining a modicum of plausible deniability. So long as his true identity is concealed he’s free to continue his jihad against America.
Mike may not be willing to say Obama’s an enemy agent but I will. Barack Obama is an enemy of the American people and he’s proved it hundreds of times.
ropelight (20fd51) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:23 pmWhat I want to know is who (the name of the person) who approved Trashfiend’s K-1 visa without checking out her address – which didn’t exist. Who done it?
Now, when the Administration tells us about their vigorous vetting process for so-called Syrian refugees let’s remind them their track record doesn’t inspire confidence.
ropelight (20fd51) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:28 pmHer address did exist. It was ABC which could not find it.
And the main beneficiaries of the fiancee visa program are prostitutes. Of both sexes.
nk (dbc370) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:34 pmI hate this term being used that someone is “radicalized.” It is as if they were a victim. It is like they got the HIV virus.
AZ Bob (34bb80) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:35 pmwho indeed,
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/curtis-houck/2015/12/09/report-released-guantanamo-detainee-now-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-will
narciso (732bc0) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:36 pmI hate this term being used that someone is “radicalized.” It is as if they were a victim. It is like they got the HIV virus.
Yup. The use of the passive instead of the active is very indicative of the psychology of this administration. Nobody acts; they’re acted upon.
nk (dbc370) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:43 pmMinorities and Women have been denied equal opportunity.
By who?
ropelight (20fd51) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:47 pm“This is something that is under careful review” by the administration, said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. He added that if the review by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security recommends changes to the K-1 visa program, President Obama “won’t hesitate to order those reforms.”
Oh great, so a sensible K-1 visa policy modification rests in the hands of John Kerry and Jeh Johnson. Man, this horror show never ends.
JVW (d60453) — 12/10/2015 @ 7:09 pm#5, nk, someone didn’t verify her address … and the FBI doesn’t think it was ABC.
The following excerpt is from the LA Times, San Bernardino Shooters Began Planning Attack Before Their Marriage, FBI Chief Says it’s by contract reporters Richard Serrano and Brian Bennett, dated 12/9/15 and is from their report on the FBI Director James Comey’s presentation to Congress.
ropelight (20fd51) — 12/10/2015 @ 7:12 pmropelight, I was going by Patterico’s update(s) to this post by JVW. https://patterico.com/2015/12/04/san-bernardino-female-terrorist-passed-dhs-screening/
I can’t agree with you, unless I disagree with Patterico, so I’ll just back off to “I din mean nufin”. 😉
nk (dbc370) — 12/10/2015 @ 7:20 pmAnd there’s also Avogadro’s Law which states: The best way to get correct information on the internet is not to ask the right question but to post the wrong answer.
nk (dbc370) — 12/10/2015 @ 7:49 pmK-1 Visa, children of alien parents, etc. Allegiance matters. So do principles. Which is why reasonable class (e.g. national origin) restrictions can be both justified and rational.
n.n (e7c48d) — 12/10/2015 @ 10:42 pmI am in the process of gathering paperwork to start the K-1 visa process. Part of that process will be a face-to-face between her and the US Embassy in Manila. I’m also doing this without an attorney but with the help of an online forum of people who have gone through the process all the way to US citizenship and those who are just starting the process, and everything in between. The big advice always given there is “be honest”. And nowhere on that site has anyone said anything about being able to do everything online, for any country. There has always been the visit to the Embassy in the foreign country, or to a Consulate in the foreign country.
And no, there are no prostitutes working to gain access to the US on the site I’m using.
John Hitchcock (11e5e0) — 12/10/2015 @ 11:59 pmHitch, I hope you like pancit, I do. Spent time in the PI (Clark Field) in ’68. Loved Dog on a log washed down with icy San Magoo. Buy yourself some bright orange bath towels – you’ll figure it out. And, Good Luck and Best Regards.
ropelight (169a68) — 12/11/2015 @ 5:40 amhttp://www.nationalreview.com/corner/428355/listen-kurt-russell-rips-leftist-reporter-who-says-its-statistically-irrefutable-guns
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/11/2015 @ 5:57 amI would invite you to listen this discussion between Jeffrey Wells and actor Kurt Russell. It represents the rarest of exchanges — a big-name actor ripping a reporter for his rote liberalism. In his account of the interview, Wells sets up the confrontation by saying that he intended to ask Russell if the violence in Quentin Tarantino’s movies is appropriate in the post-Paris, post-San Bernardino world: I segued into a riff about how movies tend to reflect the times and the culture they come from. I was thinking that the Quentin Tarantino brand, which has always included a swaggering, half-smirking, bordering-on-flippant use of violence at times, might not fit or reflect the post-Paris, post-San Bernardino culture now as well as it did the all-is-well Clinton ’90s. Russell was not amused. Here are some highlights: Wells: I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about a ground-level, water-table…a feeling in people’s bones. People are genuinely…between Paris and San Bernardino the idea of sudden violence becoming a normal, day-to-day aspect coming from the gun culture and everything else…it’s a different vibe, you know? Russell: I don’t understand concepts of conversation [about] the gun culture. We’ve lived with guns since, what, the 7th Century or something? I don’t know. Wells: Well, I think we all know…guns are a trope. Not a trope but a totem, a metaphor that disenfranchised white guys need…it makes them feel good about themselves. Russell: You can say what you want. I don’t agree with that. It’s not my thing. Wells: Well, it’s statistically irrefutable. Russell: If you think gun control is going to change the terrorists’ point of view, I think you’re, like, out of your mind. I think anybody [who says that] is. I think it’s absolutely insane. The problem, the problem that we’re having right now to turn it around…you may think you’ve got me worried about you’re gonna do? Dude, you’re about to find out what I’m gonna do, and that’s gonna worry you a lot more. And that‘s what we need. That will change the concept of gun culture, as you call it, to something [like] reality. Which is, if I’m a hockey team and I’ve got some guy bearing down on me as a goal tender, I’m not concerned about what he’s gonna do — I’m gonna make him concerned about what I’m gonna do… The went back and forth like the Left and Right have since San Bernardino, with one side focused on the weapons and the other side focused on the mindset: Wells: Obama’s point was that the guys on the no-fly list, [there] for good reason because of terrorist connections or suspicions…they can get hold of a gun pretty easily. Russell: They can also make a bomb pretty easily. So what? They can also get knives and stab you. Whaddaya gonna do about that? They can also get cars and run you over. Whaddaya gonna do about that? Wells: They didn’t kill the people in San Bernardino with cars. Russell: But they’ve killed others that way, haven’t they? Yeah, yeah. Whaddaya gonna do? Outlaw everything? That isn’t the answer. I loved Russell’s conclusion: You and I just disagree. I understand that you think you can control the behavior of people that are dead set on taking your way of life away from you. You think you can control that? And there’s only one thing you can do with that. And that’s [to say} ‘No, dude, that’s not gonna happen. That’s just not gonna happen.’
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/428355/listen-kurt-russell-rips-leftist-reporter-who-says-its-statistically-irrefutable-guns
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/11/2015 @ 6:03 amI have liked Kurt Russel ever since he starred in The computer wore tennis shoes.
felipe (b5e0f4) — 12/11/2015 @ 6:30 amropelight said: “Mike may not be willing to say Obama’s an enemy agent but I will. Barack Obama is an enemy of the American people and he’s proved it hundreds of times.” and I agree.
Amen
Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie™ (f4eb27) — 12/11/2015 @ 6:33 amYup. That’s what Obama’s birth certificate gymnastics were all about in my opinion. There was an amended birth certificate showing a Barry Soetoro and a second amended birth certificate showing a Barack Hussein Obama. Whether the original birth certificate said “Baby Boy Dunham; Name of Father Unknown” … your guess is as good as mine.
However, although it’s embarrassing, it’s not legally significant, under either American law or Sharia law. Children under 18 cannot renounce their U.S. citizenship and their parents cannot renounce it for them. Similarly, children under 18 are not considered competent to change their religion under Sharia law. Both questions have been litigated. The citizenship issues in the U.S. Supreme Court, and the religion issue in trials for apostasy in Saudi Arabia.
nk (dbc370) — 12/11/2015 @ 6:50 amI hate this term being used that someone is “radicalized.” It is as if they were a victim. It is like they got the HIV virus.
AZ Bob (34bb80) — 12/10/2015 @ 6:35 pm
If there is any truth to the so called radicalization theory offered by the Obama adminsitration, then the next question is whether there is a particular group that is susceptible or even merely amenable to this process?
AZ Bob (34bb80) — 12/11/2015 @ 8:10 amI like Monggo and Adobo, but don’t wash it down with San Mig. Wash it down with Red Horse.
John Hitchcock (11e5e0) — 12/11/2015 @ 9:07 amObama’s father wasn’t Barack Obama Sr. That very dark skinned African was Malcolm’s beard. Malcolm X was Obama’s father, that’s was the most important information covered up on Obama’s so-called Birth Certificate.
When Ann Dunham was pregnant with a black man’s child she needed a black husband quick so she cut a deal with a fellow student at the University of Hawaii for their mutual benefit. She needed a black man and he needed a green card.
However, she was proud of her child’s parentage and put Malcolm’s name on the B-Cert. Being Malcom’s son, Obama was welcomed with open arms into Chicago counter-culture society. He was the darling of those in the know: Bill Ayres, Reverend Wright, Valerie Jarrett, Louis Farrakhan, et al.
That’s why Khalid Khalidi arranged to get him into Harvard Law, got Saudi money to pay his expenses, That’s why Obama was appointed to the Annenburg Initiative, why Bill Ayres ghost wrote Obama’s books, why the Chicago political machine greased him into elected office. Why the leftist media never vetted him, why they protected him against being exposed for the extent of his long standing and intimate relationship with Reverend Wrong’s insane bigotry and racism. And why to this day he’s still being shielded, coddled, and protected while he dismantles America.
Don’t believe it? Type Malcolm X and Barack Obama into your search engine. Take a look, see what you find.
ropelight (169a68) — 12/11/2015 @ 9:28 amOK, Hitch, but don’t forget the orange bath towels.
ropelight (169a68) — 12/11/2015 @ 9:31 amHave you seen her face? Shoulda been a K-9 visa…
Gazzer (8e12bb) — 12/11/2015 @ 9:52 amGazzer… you hound you!!!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/11/2015 @ 4:30 pmF__ Aman Thind. A perfect example of a mindless Obama bureaucrat who probably couldn’t get a job otherwise if not for the imbecility of The One’s incompetent gangsta administration.
Bugg (fa64ec) — 12/11/2015 @ 4:38 pm