An abundance of caution

It was reported recently that 858 immigrants have been erroneously granted U.S. citizenship.

That number has increased. It is now estimated that “mistakes” were made on more than 1,800.

The number is a drop in the bucket compared with the yearly number of newly minted citizens. Still, it is a worrisome number. Some of these immigrants seeking citizenship are from countries which pose national security concerns. Some have obtained their new status by fraud. Some did because U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Services did not have enough information, particularly fingerprints for verification. Some of those granted citizenship were slated to be deported.

The head of the Department of Homeland Security says that these cases will be reviewed and re-checked, with an “abundance of caution.”

It is about time. An “abundance of caution” is needed in every case coming for review for citizenship.

This is reminiscent of the flawed hiring practices of the Transportation and Safety Administration. When it was discovered that some TSA agents assigned to airport security had ties with suspected terrorist groups, the agency responded, stating that its hiring was “generally effective.”

Apparently, screening future citizens is just “generally effective,” too.

That is not good enough in matters such as these. Using an abundance of caution should be the first standard for vetting, not the back-up plan.

An abundance of caution is the least we should demand and the least public services should provide.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher