15 December, 2015

An Open Letter to Members of Congress:

In the aftermath of the most devastating and lethal jihadist attack in the United States since 9/11,
Americans are rightly angry their government will not face the problem of Islamic terrorism honestly.
I know this first-hand.
During my 13 years at the Department of Homeland Security, I worked tirelessly to identify and
prevent terrorism in the United States. As a recognized founding member of DHS, it was among my
responsibilities to raise concern, not only about the individuals primed for imminent attack, but about
the networks and ideological support that makes those terrorist attacks possible.
I investigated numerous groups such as the Deobandi Movement, Tablighi Jamaat, and al-Huda as
their members traveled into and out of the United States in the course of my work. Many were
traveling on the visa waiver program, which minimizes the checks and balances due to agreements
with the countries involved. But the scrutiny we were authorized to apply was having results. This
investigation could possibly have prevented the San Bernardino jihadist attack by identifying its
perpetrators, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, based on their associations with these groups.
Almost a year into this investigation, it was halted by the State Department and the DHS Office of
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. They not only stopped us from connecting more dots, the records of
our targets were deleted from the shared DHS database. The combination of Farooks involvement
with the Dar Al Uloom Al Islamiyah Mosque and Maliks attendance at al-Huda would have indicated,
at minimum, an urgent need for comprehensive screening. Instead, Malik was able to avoid serious
vetting upon entering the United States on a fianc visaand more than a dozen Americans are dead
as a result.
The investigation was not stopped because it was ineffective, it was stopped because the
Administration told us the civil rights of the foreign nationals we were investigating could be violated.
When did foreign nationals gain civil rights in the United States, especially when they are associated
with groups we already know are involved in terrorist activity? Based on what I have seen in the
Department of Homeland Security, I no longer have the confidence this administration can
adequately vet or screen refugees or immigrants from Islamic countries.
I took my story to the American people last week. Remarkably this week, DHS former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, John Cohen, told ABC News that under the direction of DHS
Secretary Jeh Johnson, potential immigrants social media activity was off-limits to those responsible
for screening.
Just as they did when they halted my investigation in 2012which could have provided key
intelligence and potentially saved over a dozen livesDHS described a potential civil liberties
backlash if the law enforcement officals tasked with keeping our country secure did the most basic

checks on potential travelers, immigrants and refugees. Parents checking on someone their child may
be dating look at social media, but our law enforcement officials cant?
This administration has a deadly blind spot when it comes to Islamic terrorism. It is not willing to
allow proper vetting and screening of refugees or immigrants from Islamic countries; Congress must
take action to defend the security of the American people.
I understand the desire to welcome as many immigrants and refugees as possible, especially those
fleeing dangerous conflict zones. However, this administration has handcuffed law enforcement
officials tasked with vetting these individuals appropriately and that places the American people in
danger.
Philip B. Haney
DHS, Customs & Border Protection Officer (Ret.)