Ed Royce: “we do not want these agencies to waive instances where they have not had time to do the criminal background checks or to…”

“we do not want these agencies to waive instances where they have not had time to do the criminal background checks or to check the terrorist watch list. And in order to make it timely, in the amendment, we provide the revenue by having aliens who use our immigration system pay a modest security fee. That provides the very resources necessary here. What do those resources go to besides to ensure this is done in a timely manner? Well, this amendment also consolidates the data- gathering function of the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security in a law-enforcement focused division whose mission is to detect, investigate and prosecute fraud and corruption, whether internal or external to USCIS, and to serve as a centralized security- related information clearinghouse for USCIS. So this information is shared, and it encourages the criminal investigators responsible for rooting out corruption and preventing immigration benefits fraud to partner with the adjudications officers so that fraud may be detected and prevented early in the application process. For all of these reasons, I think this answers the very concerns raised by the gentlewoman's objection, and it certainly provides the additional resources to do it.…”