Late last week Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) demanded the Department of Homeland Security cough up the immigration and naturalization records of Washington D.C. Metrorail suspected terrorist bomber Farooque Ahmed.
In an effort to determine the best method to protect Americans from illegal aliens who have nefarious intentions toward U.S. citizens, Grassley sought the immigration process used by Ahmed from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but he was refused the records and told he needed a privacy release form from the suspected terrorist.
Grassley’s letter highlighted a clear conflict provided by USCIS and showed that the language contained in the Privacy Act details an exemption for members of Congress. Grassley said it, “is unacceptable as a matter of accountability,” for the American people.
Senator Grassley outlined his concern in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. “It’s about the suspected terrorist from media reports, including accounts that the would-be bomber hoped to harm as many Americans as possible on the metro system.” In addition to seeking the suspected terrorist’s immigration history, Grassley also asked for the legal background for the excuse the USCIS used to disregard a provision of law designed to ensure checks and balances by giving Congress access to this kind of information.”
The senator pointed out several media reports that concerned him regarding the process used by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and other agencies to arrest Ahmed.