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| Napolitano defends US immigration reform amid fallout from Boston attack | Napolitano defends US immigration reform amid fallout from Boston attack |
| (8 days later) | |
| Homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano has clashed with Republicans calling for proposed new immigration legislation to be delayed in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. | Homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano has clashed with Republicans calling for proposed new immigration legislation to be delayed in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. |
| Giving evidence to the Senate judiciary committee on Tuesday, Napolitano said the bill would make America safer. | Giving evidence to the Senate judiciary committee on Tuesday, Napolitano said the bill would make America safer. |
| Republicans claim that the immigration service failed to carry out adequate checks when the two men blamed for the Boston bombings, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, came to the US a decade ago. They also question why the FBI failed to act on an alert when Tsarnaev visited Russia in 2012. | Republicans claim that the immigration service failed to carry out adequate checks when the two men blamed for the Boston bombings, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, came to the US a decade ago. They also question why the FBI failed to act on an alert when Tsarnaev visited Russia in 2012. |
| The Republicans, sceptical of immigration reform in general, argued that the bill should be delayed until answers are found to why the system failed. | The Republicans, sceptical of immigration reform in general, argued that the bill should be delayed until answers are found to why the system failed. |
| But Napolitano countered that the immigration reforms would help reduce human error in screening passports. Tsarnaev's name had been misspelled on one of the travel documents when he took his 2012 trip. "The bill will help with this because it requires that passports be electronically readable. It really does a good job of getting human error to the extent it exists out of the process," Napolitano said. | But Napolitano countered that the immigration reforms would help reduce human error in screening passports. Tsarnaev's name had been misspelled on one of the travel documents when he took his 2012 trip. "The bill will help with this because it requires that passports be electronically readable. It really does a good job of getting human error to the extent it exists out of the process," Napolitano said. |
| She acknowledged, however, that there had been a mistake in the Tsarnaev case. By the time he came back six months later, an FBI alert on him had expired and so his re-entry was not noted. "The system pinged when he was leaving the United States. By the time he returned all investigations had been closed," Napolitano said. | She acknowledged, however, that there had been a mistake in the Tsarnaev case. By the time he came back six months later, an FBI alert on him had expired and so his re-entry was not noted. "The system pinged when he was leaving the United States. By the time he returned all investigations had been closed," Napolitano said. |
| She defended the interview procedures and background checks that were in place when the family emigrated to the US, saying the process had been stringent, had become more efficient since then and the bill would make improve it further. | She defended the interview procedures and background checks that were in place when the family emigrated to the US, saying the process had been stringent, had become more efficient since then and the bill would make improve it further. |
| Towards the end of the session, Napolitano was asked if the draft bill would it make America safer. "Yes," she said. | Towards the end of the session, Napolitano was asked if the draft bill would it make America safer. "Yes," she said. |
| There will be more identification checks and tracking of people coming in on visas, she said, adding that some of the 9/11 attackers had come in on visas that had lapsed. Under the new legislation, there would be a warning that visas had lapsed. | There will be more identification checks and tracking of people coming in on visas, she said, adding that some of the 9/11 attackers had come in on visas that had lapsed. Under the new legislation, there would be a warning that visas had lapsed. |
| Senators Chuck Grassley and Rand Paul are among a group of Republican members of Congress expressing concern over moving too quickly to immigration reform after Boston. | Senators Chuck Grassley and Rand Paul are among a group of Republican members of Congress expressing concern over moving too quickly to immigration reform after Boston. |
| Grassley, who is on the judiciary committee, said on Tuesday: "The tragic events that occurred in Boston ... [are] reminders that our immigration system is directly related to our sovereignty and national security matters. I'm advocating that we carefully review the immigration laws and the administration policies in place." | Grassley, who is on the judiciary committee, said on Tuesday: "The tragic events that occurred in Boston ... [are] reminders that our immigration system is directly related to our sovereignty and national security matters. I'm advocating that we carefully review the immigration laws and the administration policies in place." |
| Paul said on Monday that Congress should not proceed with reform until it understands why the immigration process failed in relation to the Tsarnaevs who had emigrated from an area he described as a "hotbed of Islamic extremism". | Paul said on Monday that Congress should not proceed with reform until it understands why the immigration process failed in relation to the Tsarnaevs who had emigrated from an area he described as a "hotbed of Islamic extremism". |
| The Democratic chairman of the judiciary committee, Patrick Leahy, summing up at the end of Napolitano's evidence, directed his words at Republican critics. "For some, there will always be a reason for not going forward on immigration reform," he said, saying the Boston bombing was one. | The Democratic chairman of the judiciary committee, Patrick Leahy, summing up at the end of Napolitano's evidence, directed his words at Republican critics. "For some, there will always be a reason for not going forward on immigration reform," he said, saying the Boston bombing was one. |
| Although many Republicans argue there is a need to win over Latinos from the Democrats to improve their chances of taking the White House, the party is divided, with many unhappy about what they see as rewarding people who came to the US illegally. | Although many Republicans argue there is a need to win over Latinos from the Democrats to improve their chances of taking the White House, the party is divided, with many unhappy about what they see as rewarding people who came to the US illegally. |
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