Panel: Asylum Fraud and National Security

Washington, D.C. – The vetting of refugees, and the attendant national security risk, has been widely discussed. But the vetting – or lack thereof – of asylum applicants has received little attention. This is a serious oversight, because while refugees are vetted before ever being allowed to step foot in the U.S., most asylum applicants are already here.

Panel Video
Panel Transcript
Report: Fraud in the "Credible Fear" Process
Report: Courting Disaster - Absent attendance and absent enforcement in America’s immigration courts

The Center for Immigration Studies hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday, May 10, focusing on the security threat posed by the ineffective vetting of those applying for asylum after entering illegally, specifically addressing the weaknesses in the "credible fear" process.

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Time: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Location: Bloomberg Room, National Press Club, 14th & F streets, NW, Washington, D.C.

Participants:

Andrew Arthur
Resident Fellow in Law and Policy, Center for Immigration Studies, will present his paper "Fraud in the "Credible Fear" Process: Threats to the Integrity of the Asylum System". Arthur served for eight years as an immigration judge in York, Pa. After leaving the bench, he worked as staff director of the National Security Subcommittee at House Oversight and Government Reform.

Mark H. Metcalf
A Kentucky prosecutor and former judge in Miami, is author of "Built to Fail: Deception and Disorder in America's Immigration Courts" and "Courting Disaster". Prior to his time on the bench, he served in posts at the Justice and Defense Departments in the administration of George W. Bush.

Todd Bensman
Bensman works in the criminal intelligence field, after over 20 years as an investigative journalist, reporting on terrorism and counterterrorism enforcement, U.S. border security, and Mexico's ongoing civil drug war.

Moderator, Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies