The Obama administration overruled career Homeland Security officials
and expedited visa applications for about two dozen foreign investors
for a politically connected Las Vegas casino hotel after repeated
pressure from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his staff, according to internal government documents obtained by The Washington Times.
The move to overturn what is normally a non-appealable visa decision
came despite concerns about “suspicious financial activity” involving
some of the visa applicants from Asia, and it ultimately benefited
several companies whose executives have donated heavily in recent years
to Democrats, the documents show. It also ensnared Mr. Obama’s current
nominee to be the No. 2 Homeland Security official, Alejandro “Ali” Mayorkas, whose appointment is to be reviewed by the Senate on Wednesday.
The intervention from Mr. Reid’s
staff was so intense at one point a year ago that a U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) official reported that it prompted a
phone shouting match, turning a normally bureaucratic review process
inside the Homeland Security Department into a politically charged drama
that worried career officials.
“This one is going to be a major headache for us all because Sen. Reid’s office/staff is pushing hard and I just had a long yelling match on the phone,” USCIS Legislative Affairs official Miguel “Mike” Rodriguez warned in a Dec. 5, 2012, email to Homeland Security Department officials.
The emails, obtained by The Times from government officials concerned
that the EB-5 investor visa program has become too politicized, detail
how the SLS Hotel,
formerly known as the Sahara Casino, tried to jump to the head of the
line for its request for about two dozen visas for Asian investors
willing to help it fund a major renovation of the storied property on
the Las Vegas Strip.
Despite early pressure from Mr. Reid’s staff, career officials inside the Department of Homeland Security initially turned down the SLS Hotel
on the grounds that it failed to meet the criteria for expedited
review. The decision, dated Dec. 17, 2012, stated flatly that “there is
no appeal or reconsideration of this decision.”
But that simply prompted Mr. Reid to personally reach out to the top official at USCIS, Alejandro “Ali” Mayorkas,
setting into motion a process that consumed top political officials
inside the Homeland Security and Commerce departments and ultimately
resulted in a ruling that granted expedited status to the hotel over the
objections of career officials.
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- This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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