The Detroit Free Press reported last week that a Federal Homeland Security employee has been accused of stealing over $200,000 from immigration detainees while they were awaiting deportation in a local jail.  Patrick Wynne allegedly committed the thefts over a four year period when he was in charge of cataloging and safeguarding immigrants’ belongings.  The charges arose after immigrants complained to lawyers, civil-rights’ groups, and the United Nations when their goods were not returned after being detained.  Wynne faces up to ten years in prison and $400,000 in fines if convicted.  

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William R. Yates, Associate Director for Operations of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) issued a memorandum to Regional Directors declaring that Interagency Border Inspection System Records (IBIS) checks are now valid for up to 90 calendar days before the adjudication of an application or petition.  The CIS increased the validity period from 35 days after a study revealed that the timeframe preserved the integrity of the checks while also maintaining public safety and national security.  Immigration advocates see this as an important change that will significantly improve processing times and cut down on backlogs at USCIS.