Obscure Loopholes Jeopardize National Security
Russian Nationals Target Active Military & Americans with High-Level Security Clearances
Lopez uncovered clusters of national-security cases tied to loopholes allowing foreigners to bypass background checks, waive criminal activities and hide national-security risks if they claim they’re crime or abuse victims.
Someone thought it would be a good idea to create a fast-tracked path to U.S. citizenship for anyone claiming they're a crime victim or abuse victim ... without requiring evidence or investigations, by forbidding trained immigration investigators from revoking these green cards on national-security grounds or fraud.
Her clusters of national-security cases specifically involved American military and military contractors being targeted by Russian nationals seeking quick U.S. citizenship without proper immigration vetting. The Department of Defense knows nothing about these obscure yet dangerous immigration loopholes, thereby assuming all foreign spouses of service members to be properly vetted.
The FBI, White House and congressional investigators sought these cases from her starting in 2016.
Lopez and other American fraud victims warned congressional leadership about the loopholes starting in 2006. In 2011, American Julie Poner testified in Senate hearings about her abusive Czech husband successfully using these loopholes to halt his pending deportation based on immigration fraud.
In 2012, Lopez discovered her first clusters of national-security cases tied to the loopholes, again raising the flag with congressional leadership and administration officials. Rather than close the temporary loopholes responsible, congress and the president made them permanent law in 2013.
Current immigration reform proposals from President Biden and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) seek to further expand these loopholes.
Lopez knows that baseless allegations for quick green cards are not victimless crimes: Americans have lost jobs, security clearances, child custody, etc. based on such false allegations. It also siphons off precious taxpayer-funded resources needed to combat domestic violence and protect real abuse victims such as herself.
FBI, White House Sought National-Security Clusters Uncovered
In 2018, Lopez twice presented clusters of national-security immigration fraud cases at White House meetings. These clusters involved foreign nationals using loopholes to bypass background checks, hide criminal activities and get fast-tracked green cards and U.S. citizenship. These people then quickly married active military with high-level security clearances, often lived on U.S. bases, and fraudulently sought federal benefits.
The Department of Defense erroneously thought the Department of Homeland Security properly vetted such people before issuing access to secure government facilities.
The FBI contacted her about these cases in 2016.
Congressional leadership has known about these loopholes since 2006. Lopez warned them of the first national-security clusters when she discovered them in 2012. Instead of close the temporary loopholes responsible, congress and the president made them permanent law in 2013.
President Biden's immigration reform proposals -- being undertaken by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) -- actually seek to expand the loopholes.
Lopez led White House meetings on national-security clusters linked to immigration loopholes.