T5 B64 GAO Visa Docs 3 of 6 Fdr- 12-10-01 and 1-24-02 GAO Interviews of Arriza Re IRB TIPOFF Program 576

8/14/2019 T5 B64 GAO Visa Docs 3 of 6 Fdr- 12-10-01 and 1-24-02 GAO Interviews of Arriza Re IRB TIPOFF Program 576

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Prepared by: Jody WoodsDate: 4/10/02Job Code: 320067(. y0V | Index:/ DOC Library: Goal2DOC Number: Type document number here

John Arriza, INR-TIPOFF9/11 Working-level Employee

Record of InterviewReviewed by:Type reviewer name hereReview Date: Type review date here

Purpose W e met on two occasions to speak with John Arriza, director of theIntelligence and Research Bureau's TIPOFFprogram.Contact Method InpersonContact Place State DepartmentContact Date December 10,2001 and January 24, 2002

ParticipantsState INKJohn Arriza|tl/24 only)GAPJudy McCloskey, AICJody Woods, Senior AnalystKate Brentzel, Analyst

Documentation Note

Description ofTIPOFF

Mr. Arriza provided us with a power point presentation of the TIPOFFprogram at the December 13meeting. Please refer to binder CBDfor theunclassified portions of the presentation and the confidential binder forthe classified portions. //-The TIPOFF system is a database of known criminals and terrorists, N Ci \daname check system. TIPOFFs mission is to enhance border security,prevent terrorists from obtaining visas, stop terrorists at the border, andprovide additional opportunities to track and question terrorists. Theinformation provided to TIPOFF comes from a variety of sourcesincluding the CIA, Customs, embassies, and other members of theintelligence community and is selectively declassified into name, date ofbirth, and country of birth and nationality.

How TIPOFF worksInformation is provided to State INR through the intelligence and lawenforcement communities. This information can come in the form ofintelligence reports that INR scans, or directed entry requests. INRTIPOFF staff then evaluate the information, allow the originating agencyto approve its use, and create a record in TIPOFF. The TIPOFF databaseis then shared with the CLASS database, which is in turn shared with the

Pagel Record of Interview


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Prepared by: Jody WoodsDate: 4/10/02Job Code: 320087Index:DOC Library:DOC Number: Type

couterterrorism community, INS,and Canadian and Australian lawenforcementHow CLASS worksState's CLASS name check system is an unclassified database with over6,000,000 names. Terrorists, traffickers, and other villains whose namesappear in the TTPOFF system are flagged with "00" codes. If a consularofficer receives a "00" hit on a visa applicant that they deem is a match,they must send a security advisory opinion (SAO) cable to consular affairsand INK. IN K then notifies the originating law enforcement or intelligenceagency. All possible information on the case is retrieved andsent toconsular affairs. Consular affairs then adjudicates the visa eligibility ofthe applicant and notifies the post. Since the inception of the TIPOFFprogram, posts have submitted to headquarters 16,893 "00" hits. Of thesehits, only 1,544 turned out to be exact matches with the files that supportTIPOFF. Of the exact matches, 738 were denied visas, and 194 wereissued visas due to operational or foreign policy interest.How IBIS WorksThe Intra-agency Border Inspection System. (IBIS) is the system used byIN S to conduct name checks on travelers appearing at U.S.ports of entry.IBIS hits from TIPOFF information are adjudicated much in the same wayas CLASS hits, with the exception that INS adjudicates the entry of thetraveler. Since the inception of the TIPOFF program, INSofficers havereported 932 hits, of which 599 were deemed as actual matches. Of those599, 266 were granted entry into the United States and 238 were deniedentry.Number ofTIPOFF RecordsAs of December 13,2001, TIPOFF contained 67,212 records on terroristsand other felons. Of those records, 52,959 have been entered into theCLASS system and 26,063have been entered into IBIS.The Visas Viper programwas created in the wake of the 1993World TradeCenter bombing to improve interagency reporting on terrorists. Theprogram's mission is to increase terrorism reporting from posts, provide aconsular channel to watch list suspects, increase interagency participationin identifying terrorists, and improve information sharing on terrorists.Visas Viper committees are chaired by the deputy chief ofmission, andmade up of consular, law enforcement, and intelligence, political, andeconomic officers at each post. They report both quarterly and on an adhoc basis as necessary. Ifa post has reasonable suspicion that a subjecthas or might engage in terrorism and sufficient biographic data to identifythe person, they send a visas viper cable to IN R for entry into TIPOFF.

VisasViperProgram

Page 2 Record of Interview


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9/11 Working-level EmployeePrepared by: Jody WoodsDate: 4/1 0/02Job Code: 320087

Index:DOC Library:DOC Number: TypeI Utated that IN R prepares a report to Mary Ryan each year on the

TIPOFFPost 9/11

Visas Viper program. He was in the process ofpreparing this year'sreport. GAO has requested a copy of the final version as well as last year'sreport,Number of entries increasing greatlyMr. Arrizareported that the number of names they are received, and thusentering, into TIPOFF has increased significantly since September 11. Hedid not know if this was a result of the intelligence community providingnames they Had prior to September 11, or if is a result of investigationsinto the attacks.M r. Arrizastated that while Mary Ryan testified that the intelligencecommunity had the names of two of the 9/11 terrorists in January 2001,itwasn't until later that summer that a connection wasmade between ameeting that occurred in Malaysia and Osama BinLaden.Workload Volume/StaffingM r. Arrizastated that theTIPOFF program receives as much as 15,000pieces of paper per day. 1 p-eported that he sees 20-30 new visasviper cables per day.As ofJanuary 2002, the TIPOFF program had ten staff. While he hasreceived a few new staff, Mr.Arrizahas put in requests for even more.When asked what his biggest obstacle to including more names in thesystem, Mr.Arrizastated it was staffing. His office had been understaffedbefore the terrorist attacks in September and continues to be. The systemhas the technical capability to hold a great deal more names, but he needsthe staff to enter them.Changes in LegislationMr. Arriza reported that the Patriot Act has lowered the bar fordenyingU.S. entry on the grounds of terrorism. Prior to the Patriot Act, therequirement was that there must be "reason to believe", but the PatriotAct has changed that language to "reasonable suspicion".BiometricsMr. Arriza believed biometrics would be very valuable, but did not believethe facial recognition technology was ready to be used yet.

Record of In t erv iew


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Telephone Conversation with JohnArizza, State INIUTIPOFF

I spoke with John Arizza today in order to clarify some information.M r. Arizza said that it wouldnot be classified to state in our report that muchof the newinformation for post-9/11TIPOFF entries came from theCIAjnd POD. He said that to give more /detailed information, i.e., to break downhow many reports each agency/department issued per Vmonth, would be classified. But he did not have a problem with our general statement as written, (especially as it puts the agency in a good light. (He was in favor ofthe agency obtaining some \n for the infintelligence than other agencies.)M r. Arizza also commented on TIPOFFs efforts in general He stated that TIPOFF is a specialoperation that has processed 18,000 SAOs since its inception in 1987. TIPOFF has a proven trackrecord of not hassling the "good guys" regarding visas and of stopping the "bad guys" fromobtaining visas. Hestated that TIPOFF entries (and byextension some CLASS terrorist records)may, in fact, contain incompleJe.biQgraphical informatipp, simply because intelligence sourcesmay not be in possession of all these details. TIPOFF, however, is forward-leaning and proactiveabout getting people into the system (rather than waiting for all an individual's biographical databefore entering them into TIPOFF). TIPOFF follows through with other intelligence agenciesand sources so that this information can be updated. But Mr. Arizza said he does enterincomplete information into TIPOFF in order to be safe. In the context of a CLASS name search,M r. Arizza said this lack of information on some terrorist records could result in a CLASS name "check that pulls in extra records or does not pull in other records, depending on thecircumstances.Gabrielle Anderson

Documents

T5 B64 GAO Visa Docs 3 of 6 Fdr- 12-10-01 and 1-24-02 GAO Interviews of Arriza Re IRB TIPOFF Program 576