RUTHFULLY YOURS

Though over 100,000 people claimed asylum in the United States in 2014, the federal government only has “limited capabilities to detect asylum fraud,” according to a new government audit.

About 4,500 people claimed asylum with the assistance of lawyers and application preparers who were later convicted of fraud, the Government Accountability Office’s audit found. “Granting asylum to an individual with a fraudulent claim jeopardizes the integrity of the asylum system by enabling the individual to remain in the United States, apply for certain federal benefits, and pursue a path to citizenship,” the report says. “Given the potential consequences of asylum decisions, it is important that the asylum system is not misused.”

The number of asylum claims has doubled since 2010, a statistic that surely will stoke questions about whether President Obama’s immigration policies are a “magnet” for people who try to enter the country illegally. The report also feeds into an ongoing debate about whether the federal government has the capability to ensure that terrorists can’t take advantage of refugee programs to enter the United States.

There were over 108,000 asylum claims filed in fiscal year 2014, up from about 47,000 in fiscal year 2010, and the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services have struggled to keep up with the surge in paperwork. They currently face a backlog of 106,121 applicants.

When the Redlands Tea Party Patriots objected to the resettling of Syrian Muslim migrants in their community, CAIR accused them of “paranoia and phobia is rooted in a combination of ignorance and bigotry.”

But “paranoia and phobia” are the modern condition that the free world has found itself living in. Islamic terrorism can strike anytime and anywhere from a Paris concert hall to a San Bernardino County facility where disabled children were being helped. It’s ignorance to ignore that and bigotry to defend it.

“What will be done to ensure the safety of our community? Our biggest concern is the safety of our family, our children and our grandchildren,” Victoria Hargrave of Redlands Townhall had asked.

It was a good question. As the country watched police charge towards a home in the Redlands, it has become an even better question.

The shooter has been named as Sayeed Farouk. His father described him as a religiously devout Muslim. “He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back.” Co-workers say that he “grew a beard and started to wear religious clothing. The long shirt that’s like a dress and the cap on his head.”

And at some point his “religiosity” took him down the familiar path of Jihad.

San Bernardino’s police chief confirmed that the mass shooting at a county Christmas banquet did not look like a spontaneous attack due to the amount of planning, devices, weapons and tactical gear involved.

Chief Jarrod Barguan told reporters in a late-night press conference the shooting suspects, both killed in a gunbattle with some 20 officers at the end of a pursuit, have been identified as Syed Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Farook was a U.S.-born citizen; the chief wasn’t sure of Malik’s background. He said he had no information on whether either had a criminal record.

Barguan said there was a relationship between the two; CBS News reported that the pair had been married for two years. CAIR said earlier that Farook and his wife have a 6-month-old baby.

Farook was an environmental specialist at the county health department. He had attended the Christmas party last year, and this year left the party early “angry” under circumstances that led police to the Redlands residence. The Daily Beast reported that Farook’s mother lived there.