t5 b5 wyrsch- mary ann fdr- entire contents- includes berez and shaw materials- notes- mfr-...

8/14/2019 T5 B5 Wyrsch- Mary Ann Fdr- Entire Contents- Includes Berez and Shaw Materials- Notes- MFR- Questions- Emails-

1/55

QUESTIONSMary Ann WyrschOCOTBER 10,2003

Background. how did you come by your job at INS ? what did Meissner tell you your job would entail ? what were th e high priorities at the t ime you became Deputy Comm issioner inearly 1998? Who did Com missioner and Deputy answer to on a day to day basis? I

Information avenues and intelligence. /L/o What role, if any, did you see for the INS in counterterrorism?

Did you receive regular intelligence briefings? HOW Often? yf// MMt*Q\tnw0T .'- What was included?t f f t o What w as your knowledge of Islamic fundamentalism am i UBL?o Who from within the INS?

Intel. Unit (George NSU Lookout Unit Counsel 's Office on special interest cases The field JTTF detailees or CIA detailees Headquarters Op erations Center.

Please ex plain the roles of each of these units w ithin the INS.o Who did you receive intelligence from outside the INS1o DOJ DAG or Jim Reynolds Officeo FBI ' A


2/55

o At what point did you become aware of the activities of terrorists in the U S?Islamic fundamentalist terrorists?o Were you aware of UB L's 1998 fatwah? ft 0

Response to intelligence/inform ation received.o Were you aware of UBL as a threat? Did anyone see UBL as a threat and that th eINS had a role to play on the borders and in internal enforcem ent b/c of INSexclusive Title 8 authority? */ .o Were you aware ofPDD-39 requiring INS to exclude terrorists? W hat w as youj:response to that requirement? A#*S tr z T/P 0f*f~-o To the Africa bombings of '98? tw+*>-+*.ro To Ressam and the millennium plot in late 1999?o Strategies.o Was there ever a CT strategy drafted? If so,:o Who was tasked with CT policy? -ct\ Who was tasked with CT operations.

o To what extent did hdqtrs know of CT operations ongoing?o View of the internal enforcement strategy?o Did you ever request analys es be conducted on terrorist penetration of theborder, especially after the Ressam /mil lennium case? /!/ Oo Budget resources. who ultimately responsible for INS budget?

W hat were the budget p riorities?o W hat allocation to internal enforcem ent? $ $ *"T i .o To CT?o To inspections technology? \ojt*jufc** *^v lC**'io-kW*o To fraud training and technology?o Did you ever seek out DO j, OM B or Congress to provide mo refunding on CT?o To what extent was Congress, from you vantage point,interested in the INS playing a role in CT considering INSexclusive jurisdic tion over Title 8?Policy Council . W ho instituted it and what was its purpose?

Programs.Student tracking. What did you see as the purpose/mission of CIPRIS Briefing of by Berez Fee schedule reg. What was the process by which the fee regulation w asmeted out within the INS prior to its publication fo r comment?


3/55

Entry / exit. 1996 law mandated it. What happened to it?

Refugees and global terrorism1 . What is your view of the impact of global terrorism on the refugee admissionprocess?2. Are you aware of any terrorists using the refugee process to gain adm ission to the

U S ? /v'T + uTo any other count3. What is the impact on other countries - either their views of the U.S.or their ownwillingness to accept refugees - of the current drop in refugee admissions? /t***^4. What is the name of the office at DHS focused on refugee admissions? NAMEOF OFFICE and location of office in DHS5. Whom do you recomm end our speaking with at DHS about the current refugeeadmission process? NAM E OF DHS person6. Whom do you recommend our speaking with atDOS about th e current refugeeadmission process? NAM E of DOS person (4|eJhyDewey?)1. What do you think the USG needs to do to raise th e level of refugee admissions tomeet the Presidential comm itment level of 70,000 from the current under 28,000?(If there is paper on this, that would be good.) Is she optimistic that the US willreturn to its previous level? V-8. In you r current position at UNHCR do you receive intelligence relating to > * -refugees an d refugee camps? (If so, from whom? Adequate? Impact on policyan d practice?) (If not, is this a problem in your mind?)

I f appropriate, how do we follow up with her for more details on these matters?


4/55

9/11 PersonalPrivacy

"homas H. Kean: H A I R.ee H. Hamilton'ICE C H A I RUchard Ben-Vniste.fax Cleland'rederick F. Fieldingamie S. Gorelickilade Gortonohn F . LehmanHmothy J . Roemerames R . Thompson

'hilip D. ZelikowXEC U TIV E DIR EC TOR

October 7, 2003Mr. Jack Shaw

Dear Mr. Shaw:Th e National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States isdirected by statute to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including the nation's preparedness for,and imm ediate response to, those attacks, as well as to evaluate the lessonslearned from those attacks and to make recommendations for preventing futureattacks. As part of its investigation, the Comm ission hereby requests tointerview you on issues relating to policy, budget, leadership an d resourceissues regarding internal enforcement of the INS prior to September 11, 2001.Th e Commission anticipates that classified information may be discussed at thisinterview. W e would also like to discuss your views on the future ofimmigration and border control policy since September 11 to combat terrorism.Janice Kephart-Roberts, a member of the Comm ission's professional staff, willmake the arrangements fo r your interview. The Commission would like toconduct your interview at our office located at 301 7 th Street, SW, Room 5125,Washington, B.C. on Thursday, Octobe r 9 at 2:00 p.m. At least tw o membersof the Commission's staff will attend your interview, and the general policy ofthe Com mission is to tape record interviews. Please call Joanne A ccolla at202.401.1774 as soon as possible to confirm these arrangements and discuss thetime an d location of your interview. Please call Janice Kephart-Robdrts at202.401.1705 to raise any other questions you may have.Thank you very much in advanc e for your time and for your cooperation withthe Com mission and its staff in this important m atter.Yours sincerely,

QPhilip Z elikowExecutive Director

301 7 lh Street SW , Room 5125Washington, DC 20407T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545www.9-1 lcommission.gov


5/55

homas H. KeanH A I Rec H. HamiltonI C E C H A I R.ichard Ben-Veniste/ fax Cleland'rederick F. Fieldingami* S. Oorelick'lade Cottonohn F. Lehman"imothy j. Roemerames R. Thompson

'hilip D. Z e l i k o wX E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R

9/11 PersonalPrivacy

October 7, 2003.

Mr. Greg Bednarz

Dear Mr. Bednarz:The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States isdirected by statute to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11,2001 terrorist attacks, including the nation's preparedness for,and immediate response to, those attacks, as well as to evaluate the lessonslearned from those attacks and to make recommendations for preventing futureattacks. As part of its investigation, the Commission hereby requests tointerview you on issues relating to policy, budget, leadership and resourceissues regarding internal enforcement of the INS prior to September 11, 2001.The Commission anticipates that classified information may be discussed at thisinterview. We would also like to discuss your views on the future ofimmigration and border control policy since September 11 to combat terrorism.Janice Kephart-Roberts, a member of the Commission's professional staff, willmake the arrangements for your interview. The Commission would like toconduct your interview at our office located at 301 7th Street, SW, Room 5125,Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 9 at 2:00 p.m. At least two membersof the Commission's staff will attend your interview, and the general policy ofthe Commission is to tape record interviews. Please call Joanne Accolla at202.401.1774 as soon as possible to confirm these arrangements and discuss thetime and location of your interview. Please call Janice Kephart-Roberts at202.401.1705 to raise any other questionsyou may have.Thank you very much in advance fo r your time and for your cooperation withth e Commission and its staff in this important matter.Yours sincerely,

Philip ZelikowExecutive Director

301 7 lh Street SW , Room 5125Washington, DC 20407T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545www.9-l lcommiss ion.gov


6/55


7/55

t l l\

1Ic


8/55

'CY~


9/55

^*1aM'

**>**( (A^Pbi

r/f}


10/55

f - //I/S

- u& T >&*V

&/2ZAT


11/55

/7T

rfjfa fertcfr&


12/55

- u

t'&'J>

' VV


13/55

J ^

"pity

&S


14/55

y'

7 Gvu^y

/r^ 4 ?

>Jrfffi-

i, ,

&


15/55

*s.


16/55

T/ritpP///"

^


17/55

JS *y*/>/-**" / yp* ^/%'V^p?^ ?#&// * / / $ yfr/fy?

-t/'ytt'MiVK (k&yJ^^

' J0*S>* 0& jfcnr? _ ***l


18/55

7>^rJ^&+*-

&>-

Jttef &&*-

gh ' 6


19/55


20/55

Commission SensitiveMEMORANDUM FOR THERECORD

Event: Interview of Morrie Berez, DHS senior officer in the Bureau of Citizenship andImmigration Services. Interviewed in his former capacity as architect of the originalstudent tracking program at INS.Date: Thursday, October 2,2003 ......

J /9/11 PersonalSpecial Access Issues: [none] PrivacyPrepared by: Janice Kephart-Roberts on October 6,2003Team Number: 5 (Border Security)Location: GSAParticipants - Non-Commission: Morrie Berez|_

Tom Muther, 202-307-8119, BCIS counsel's officeParticipants - Commission: Janice Kephart-RobertsTom EldridgeNote: no classification requiredDocuments received: See Appendix TwoDocuments requested at interview under pending document request:"Functional requirements" documentOriginally drafted fee reg, and one Wyrsch required changes on.Recording: a tape recording can be found on Team 5, Folder A, Track 5.NOTES:Interviewee. Morrie Berez. DHS senior officer in the Bureauof Citizenship andImmigration Services. Interviewed in his former capacity as architect of the originalstudent tracking program at INS, the CIPRIS Task Force.Background. Received a bachelor's in business and econ, amaster's in publicadministration. Spent two years with the Peace Corps inAfrica. Did health care frauddetection for HCVA. From 1974-1980, worked for GAO where did investigations ofprograms in violation of their mandate: funeral home industry, veterans administration,the federal health benefit program. 1980-85: Worked on the DOE Fed RegulatoryCommission. InNov. 1985, joined the INS where assigned to try to centralize thendecentralized functions. Set up the telephone service centers which verified the validityof green card holders and border crossing cards into a system called ACTION on a 24/7


21/55

basis. System received 100,000 queries per year via the CLAIMS or Central IndexSystem. (IBIS is different; that's a lookout system rec'g info from 26 different agencies.)In 1994, assigned to the Office of Examination student unit which did oversightover the regulations and policies pertaining to foreign students. These regs wouldbecome the basis for the initial w ork of the CIPRIS task force, prior to the statute ofsection 641 in IIRIRA . Reg ulations gov erning students were: 8 CFR214.2 (f), (m), and (j) 214.3 re approval of institutions 214.4 re withdrawal of approval of institutions 22 CFR re rules governing 14 categories of schools and exchange programs.

The story of CIPRIS.1994. On April 16, the student unit received a query via Deputy CommissionerChris Sale (now a comptroller at OMB) from DAG Jamie Gorelick in reto the Louis Freeh memo on behalf of the DOJ enforcement task forcenoting that tracking of students would be helpful to law enforcem ent.Gorelick wanted to know what the INS was doing about it and Berez was

tasked with w riting the response.O n April 19, The Murrah building is bombed in O klahoma City. The FBIwants student information for all the surrounding areas from 9 MidEastcountries. Upon querying the "Student School System" (STSC), Berez foundthat this data storage system was a disaster: not every school was entered intothe system, not all students, and info was old and unreliable. The records hadbeen updated in 1988, but not since.Berez already knew students information should be important to lawenforcement since one conspirator of the 93 WT C case was an out of statusWichita State student. Luckily fo r that case, an 1-20 and 1-94 were found. Hisstudent status had enabled him to acquire breeder documents fo r legitimacy inUS. Even m ore recently a H amas terrorist was caught trying to corss the SWborder with a coyote (alien smuggler).1995. In May, Berez was the primary author of a paper detailing what needed tohappen to update the STSC . Berez recomm ended an interagency taskforce, and stated his vision for it. In it would include the CIA and FBI, bu tlater told only IN S liaisons would be allowed. Program Office also said noto including intel.

a. In late M ay 1995, Greg Bednars was Sales' special assistant and AmyJeffres was Gorelick's. Jeffres liked the paper and Gorelick gave the go-ahead to begin the interagency task force.b . Michael L. Aytes was an Assistant Commissioner and very supportive ofBerez. "He was a visionary and could see how helpful it would be to trackaliens student history from cradle to grave with the help of biometrics."c. June. Berez pu t together an agenda for the task force meeting of twoweeks at hdqtrs. It was a top down assessment of the current STSC to


22/55

determine if it was fixable and identified all the issues necessary to becovered by a student system. Aytes provided Berez with 2 EDS techconsultants who were really good. At this meeting, everyone's ideas weretaken. Berez was intent that the document produced be a full concensusdocument. At end of week one, had the following concensus: the currentprocess was so broken that it was irretrievable. A new system wasneeded, and the one mapped out became CIPRIS (CoordinatedInteragency Partnership Regulating International Students). The systemwas to be wholly electronic, real time, data sharing with an automaticcheck hi IBIS and would identify source of students funding, including thebank and the originator of the funds. Each student would be assigned arisk value and an intel analyst would conduct this analysis full time,similar to a DIA national security unit. (Donna Hamilton was the DOSrep, now retired.)d. December. The CIPRIS report is completed and goes to DAG Gorelick.

9/11 personal The report gets Hill attention via Senator Simpson's staffer Radigam, aPr ivacy former DOS consul general. Berez workedwith JoknRatigoni - - [ _ _ fr via Joyce Chang of Congressional Affairs (now deceased). Inconsidering revisions to student tracking system, Berez had to deal with

the issues of student fees and the Buckley law, a privacy law "protecting"students. The task force had found 1000s of fraudulent I-20s, thatlanguage schools especially were making money selling I-20s, and thatdesignated student officers at schools were corrupt.

1996. a,March. Chris Sales organizes a presentation to CommissionerMeissner to present the interagency task force results. Berez made thepresentation. The Comm'r didn't like the enforcement nature of theproposal, didn't like the intrusion on the schools or students. "Strongconcern that CIPRIS was too enforcement oriented." She especially didn'tlike the biometrics of photo and fingerprint, and thought too intrusive. Theattendees, who were all supportive of the task force at that time b/c, asBerez says, Sales was in favor of it, told Meissner that the DAG wanted ananswer. To which Comrn'r replied that she wanted more study and moreoptions. Persons in attendance: Mike Manuel, Chris Sale, GeorgeBohlinger, Bill Slattery, maybe Bob Bach.

b. July. Berez writes an option paper for Meissner. Sales tells Berez thatComm'r sitting on it.c. September 30. Section 641 of IIRIRA becomes law and requires the INSto develop student tracking.d. October 11. Meissner signs off on option recommendation no. 5, a pilotproject in Atlanta. Berez picked Atlanta because the city was alreadyfamiliar with high tech after a summer Olympics there; the port directorand district director of INS in Atlanta were very good and supportive; andthere were big schools like Duke, Clemson, Auburn, an all black college, 4and 2 yr. colleges, a flight school (concern about piloting of drugs intoUS), tech colleges, and exchange programs all in region. (Berez had


23/55

wanted recommendation #5, but told not politically viable. This optionincluded a scanner at a POE. Had only recomm ended option no. 4)Option #4 is now U S Visit, with the smart card ofCIPRIS now the visacard of US Visit. However, th e technology was available technically an dfinancially in 96.e. During this time, C IPRIS was com peting against other INS projects forresources and support.1997. January 8. A federal register notice was approved by O MB for the pilot.The task force was brought back at this time after the Com m'rs approval toimpleme nt proposal of the summ er. The only restriction OMB put on itwas only college age alien kids, no high school or lower. To this notice, 50or 60 schools said they wanted to participate.April. Berez convenes a m tg in Atlanta with the task force and all the playersin the pilot. Only needed about $3 mil per year at this point. Berez says Salethe project's guardian angel, and whatever Berez needed he got.June. Launched the pilot with the readers in the Atlanta airport and the TexasService Center and USIA (got readers too for scanning bar coded I-20s for I-539 change of status applications). Tom Fisher was a great district directorand im plemented the pilot in Atlanta. The budget went up to $5 mil, astechnical glitches needed straightening. EDS wasn't doing a good job andreplaced 3 project mgrs during this time thru IT INS. In '99, Berez permittedto participate in selection and picked a former IBM VP, John Smith.During 1997, PDD-42 men tions student tracking and Berez asked tocoordinate with Dan Cadman on the CT side of the project.

1998. January. Chris Sales leaves after being blamed for the failure ofCitizenship USA. (Was a P R disaster for the administration, as criminalswere getting citizenship.) The word out was "don't mess with the widow".The reference was to Meissner who had recently lost her husband.February. Mary Ann Wyrsch takes Sales' place as Deputy Com missioner.March. By this time, C IPRIS pilot functionality was w orking and glitchestaken care of. The prototype card worked. The prototype was created viadummy records, a card, and use in Atlanta. The prototype never mad e it out tothe em bassies because the task force wasn't permitted to produce it. However,on Feb. 2 Berez received a stop work order on the project. Sen. Kyi 's officevia Kyi's judiciary subcommittee intervened and got funding restored. Suchinterruptions in work became com monplace thereafter.Paul Rosenberg was Wyrsch's special assistant, and didn't like CIPRISbecause he had a project of automating I-94s, a project that w as tested in Philly

with US Air.August. Berez feels ready to develop a national system, as the system,scanning, database sharing and Texas Service Center issues had been workedout). Berez believed that the system could've been up and running by January'01. Berez is able to obtain a briefing with Meissner. Berez believes thatMeissner will love the project, as it has great potential to act as a template forA files. In addition, the project was interatency task force and field tested, and


24/55

both DO E and DOS on board, as well as U of TX Austin, who w as willing tohave CIPRIS use its system to develop the national beta test. "Action officers"at DIA (Stephen French), CIA and FB I would have been recipients of CIPRISdata. Berez was going to call the national program was to be called SEVIS,the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System.At the briefing, Berez was asked questions by Wyrsch and Meissner.Many people were in the room , including Dan Cadman. Berez's impression atthe end o f the meeting was that everything was okay and he had the go-aheadto develop the national project. The prototype card worked, but then B erez notpermitted to replace it with an actual card. Nobody criticized the project.Mike Hrinyak was there, as was Jackie Bednarz, who was supportive until thepolitical winds changed. W yrsch said sh e wanted to learn m ore.How the system would've worked: Alien seeks admittance to school. If alien accepted, then school submitted data on alien to INS viaSEVIS and SEVIS wo uld've sent informa tion to IBIS, the INSlookout systems against data provided about individual,including all family members of alien and alien's spouse, so ifanyone related to system came up with a hit, would alert DO Sthat a full investigation would need be done. If a "bigger" hit,DIA/FBI/CIA would be notified. An authorizing message would sent to the school, so the schoolcould print off receipt to send student either hard copy orelectronically, eliminating the 1-20, and the receipt would bemachine readable fo r hard copy with a confirmation number on itfor both electronic and hard copy. This information the studentuses to acquire a student visa overseas, an d DOS w ould onlyneed to call up the confirmation numb er to adjudicate the visa."M y philosophy was that the earlier a warning yo u could get, the

better." Once the student applied for a visa, the INS would have 30 daysto check the financial information submitted by the student onhis visa application. This w ould only happen if the student had aprior hit in the system. Also if a hit, a full background, includinga 10 print, w ould be con ducted prior to issuance and run v. thatcountry's criminal databases (only DOS has this access, not INS)and Interpol, etc. System would then send a notice to school advising that a visawas issued. The type of visa issued would be a visa not in apassport, but a visa "smart card" that would be machine readableat POE. Included in this card was photo and one right indexfinger print, which the consular officer took. Would've beenable to interact with Iden t and check F BI NCIC system if hitsituations. Once visa issued, SEVIS w ould be updated to include that visacard issued. The card no. would have a master card number.


25/55

At the POE, the student arrives with his smart card and masternum ber. Inspector runs card through reader and can questionstudent or not. The inspector then does an electronic admissionrecord that runs v. master record an d visa card becomes evidenceof status in US. (Could only verify biometric if pull intosecondary.) The entry of student triggers an automatic notice tothe school of the entry. The system then starts a clock and student must start his programwithin 60 days of admittance. The system would've sought anacknowledgement from school of enrollment. W ou ld've beenconnected to the registrar's database. If no acknowledgment from school, SEVIS says if don't tell uswhere student is within 10 days, first a warning letter that inviolation and if adverse action, fines or no certification.Meanwhile, IN S interior enforcem ent would be notified of noshows, an d they'd prioritize them an d warrant would be issuedfor arrest for no show. That warrant puts the alien in NC ICwhich enables local law enforcement to stop aliens.

1999. January.a. The W yrsch meeting doesn't happen until January, 4 months after therequest. Berez makes presentation to Wyrsch. In attendance are JackieBednarz, Tom Cook, Paul Authors. Every question she had we had ananswer, so Berez thought things had gone fine.b. During this time, "on high" was anti-enforcement. Greg Bednarz an dDan Cadman ca n speak to that.c. Berez said that rum or was that Wyrsch's alma mater had gotten to her.NA FSA saw to blocking CIPRIS in anyway possible.d. Afterwards Berez w as queried as to how he rec'd authorization to doCIPRIS and told by W yrsch that should've gotten approval for it. Berezresponsded that he thought he done that in the briefing he'd provided heran d the Commissioner in 8/98.e. Du ring this time as well, W yrsch created a "Policy Council" who didofficial sign-offs on program ming resourcing. This Council didn'tdisapprove the smart card of CIPRIS, but deferred the national system andsaid you can't have the card tested beyon d the prototype in the pilot. Thisinstruction came down verbally.February. Berez then goes to the general counsel 's office to flesh out thesection 641 statutory requirem ents to determine if the fee could be collecteddirectly from the student or from the schools. Berez definitely didn't think itshould be an overseas operation, as that was highly complicated. W yrschstates that she wants schools 100% compliance in collecting fees b/c shebelieved that statute required it and if schools failed, lost their certification.This is the rule that Berez is forced to publish for comment in the CFR, and hereceives 5,000 comments back from schools decrying process.


26/55

May. Berez at a . NAFSA conference with over 1000 attendees from schoolsaround the country. In front of a 1000 people, he tells them that CIPRIS isinevitable so you better get on board, and said how much better this system isfor legitimate students and schools. He also says, "look, some day a foreignstudent national will do something bad and then a national tracking systemwill be dictated to you without your say." Berez, during the course of thisconference, has lunch with Marlene Johnson who heads the lobby fo r NAFSAin Washington. Berez is trying to have a friendly conversation with Johnsonwhen Johnson says to him: "I wonder what would happen to CIPRIS if youweren't leading it." Berez says that there were large schools that NAFSArepresented that had very large foreign student populations, such as U ofMichigan and Ohio State that had unhealthy foreign student operations (ieweren't wholly complying with the law on I-20s) that really wanted CIPRISkilled. However, other large schools with large foreign students populationswere behind the program, such as UCLA, Auburn, and Brigham Young.August. Berez sets up internet based fee collection with the banks using an I-906 using Mellon Bank's lock box and permitting the student to pay on theInternet.October. Bob Bach calls Berez's boss in and tells Cook that the decision hasbeen made to replace Berez now that going to a national program b/c Berez isconsidered to be too controversial by NAFSA. Bach says Cook and Cooktells Berez that Bach wanted berez out of CIPRIS no matter what. Berez wastold Wyrsch said: "It won't be the first time we haven't done somethingmandated by law." Berez says he was only controversial internally at INS,not externally amongst the task force. Bach represents to Cook that now pilotwill be taken to national development. Berez says INS then divided his jobinto many parts, so fragmenting CIPRIS with unknowledgable people that itcouldn't go forward. The only piece of CIPRIS that Berez to retain was thefee regulation. Cook found $3 mil and put a dumbed down CIPRIS on lifesupport behind Wyrsch's back.

Also in 1999: "Functional requirements" document that discussed perceived potentialthreats of students coming to this country. This is where the country of originfield comes into the student form b/c of concerns about ME terrorism, andalso because section 641 requires the identification of five state sponsors ofterrorism. Berez wanted to do more than statutorily required, as didn't want

to discriminate amongst aliens; figured it was silly to spend all this money ondevelopment and only capture a small number of students, and that terroristsaren't just from state sponsorsj jof the DIA had providedinput on how to target and mix and match data on individuals, and wantedCIPRIS to be able to cull out Mideast aliens fo r analysis. Paul Rosenbergdumped all over it.......---"" Meeting at White House. Via Cadman's prior meeting with the CSG Group at

, the White House, Berez was to support Cadman on the presentation. But noone had the detailed knowledge of the program, so Berez was verbally9/11 LawEnforcementPrivacy


27/55

authorized to go make presentation by Wyrsch (via Cronin). Berez went anddid run through. Jackie bednarz went with Berez. Both Simon and danBenjamin liked it. Heard back the Dick Clarke responded via Tom C ookthat Clarke wanted more than F,M, and J visas covered and more proactiveanalysis and data.January 2001. W as to begin national deploym ent. Flight schools would 've beenpart of the deploym ent as well as vocational schools. W as to begin with a m ass datatransfer of all schools with current students and run those names through NIIS andidentify those w/o departure records an d recertify schools.Post Sept. 11. Berez received many em ails from supporters saying that now, forsure, Berez would be put back in charge of the CIPRIS task force and the CIPRISwould be taken off life support. But Mike Becraft, who had been COS underWyrsch and was now acting deputy commissioner under Ziglar, said there w as noway Berez would ever be involved again, as he'd gone outside the chain of commandand couldn't be trusted. Bill Yates had this conversation w ith Becraft.If CIPRIS had been deployed on a national level by early 2000, would CIPRIShave captured the following 9/11 hijacker inform ation?

a. Atta, Hanjour and Alsehhi.i. W ould a pending 1-539 applications to change status from a B2 toan M-l (Atta and Alsehhi) student be available to an immigrationinspector upo n entry? yesii. Would a pending 1-539 applications to change status from an Fl toan M -l (Atta an d Alsehhi) student be available to an immigrationinspector upon entry? yes

iii. If yes, would the record indicate that the applicant was alreadyattending school pending the application's approval? yesiv. W ould that information require an automatic referral to secondaryinspection? yesv. W hat would the legal result of attending school prior toadjudication of the change of status application? Law wasunequivocal that if an alien leaves while an application is pending,that application is abandoned and no entry is permitted.vi. What was INS policy under such circumstances in 2000 an d 2001?Policy was to let in.b. Hanjour.i. W ould historical records (this one of an F-l issued in Nov. 1997)have been available in CIPRIS upon a December 2000 entry intothe US? no

Atta. Assuming that that flight school ha d been entered into the system, would'vecaught his credit card information an d learned he was being financed by a terroristfinancier. This w ould've happened b/c Atta's 1-539 was pending upon his last entry


28/55

9/11 Law Enforcement Sensitive

in July 2001, but Atta had already attended and completed flight school by this time,but since the application for change of status was pending, would've captured his dataand had that available when referred to secondary inspection.If CIPRIS had been in place prior to 9/11, (MB says it would've been in place byearly 2000), what information would it have been available to law enforcementand intelligence agencies?!

If CIPRIS had been in place prior to 9/11, do you think it would have had aneffect on discouraging members of Al Qaeda from coming to the US to attendflight trainingor language centers? yes

CIPRIS characteristics that would have been included in the nationallydeployed SEVIS program as developed by Berez's task force, but NOTincluded in the current "dumbed down" version of SEVIS:


29/55

10

9/11 Law Enforcement Sensitive

Berez work since 9/11.FTTTF. Developed the data elements and the electronic all online flight studentsseeking admittance. The school has to designate that they want the student, and oneschecked by flight school, the FTTTF runs v. risk assessment value.Exceptions: pilots receiving inservice recerts and no pilot seeking to fly less than5500 pounds is checked.Developed national anti-fraud strategy for CIS. That the areas where fraud, wherevera individual could obtain under false pretenses legitimate immigration docs is a nationalsecurity concern. Most virilant fraud is H-1B, by ginning up bogus resume, bogus DOLpapers, and INS has no method of determining truth b/c don't look at employer or alien,just adjudicate on paperwork.Solution that to develop ongoing benefit assessment that totally random. Thisrandom sampling, where found fraud, look at characteristics/patterns in those case, todetermine factors that would require site visits or interviews.Now. Reassigned F, M, J regs or any CIS policy interpretation of regs. for current SEVISoperation.Section 326 of the Patriot Act requires the alien's immigration information be verified.Biometric would be helpful here....


30/55

1 1

APPENDIX ONEQuestions fo r Morrie BerezTopics: CIPRIS p re- 9/11 The following questions were covere d during th e course ofthis interview.

1. Please describe the evolution of student tracking, including what the originalregulations on foreign students were and how that differed, if at all, from section641 of IIRIRA?2. What was CIPRIS and what was the mission of CIPRIS?3. What was the relationship of CIPRIS to counterterrorism?4. How did you first become involved in student tracking?5. What was your position?6. When appointed?7. W ho asked you to take the position?8. What were your m arching orders?9. What was your im pression of the commitment of management to CIPRIS w henyou first took the job? How much did that commitment change over time?10. How much discretion did you have in developing the components and timetablefor producing CIPRIS?11. In discussing discretion in developing the program , could you explain som e of theearly discussions on whether the program should only cover state sponsors ofterrorism or not? What was your position on that?12. What were the key characteristics of CIPRIS?13. What was the timetable for developing CIPRIS?14. W ere you able to stay within the timetable?15. According to your timetable, when would CIPRIS have been nationally deployed?The pilot project.16. When was the pilot deployed? When was it deemed to have fulfilled its mandate?17. Wh at were the problem s and successes with the pilot?18. Did CIPRIS have enough resources to fulfill its mandate? What problems did youencounter?Please talk about th e White House and Congress here.19. Who supported CIPRIS an d your work?a. W ithin the INSb. Outside the INS20. W ho do you find unhelpful?

a. Within the IN Sb. Outside the INS21 . Did there come a point when the pilot was complete and you and the task forcefelt ready to move on to a national deployment?22. Who were the contractors on the project?


31/55

1223. W ere the characteristics yo u sought to include, like biometric identity cards andautomatic checks of financial records, really doable from a technologystandpoint? From a financial standpoint?24. How did the levying of the fee come about?25. What ultimately happened to CIPRIS?26. W hat happened to your position at CIPRIS?27. W ho made the decision to fragment CIPRIS?28. Who, if you know, influenced that decision?


32/55

13

APPENDIX TWODocuments Entered into the Record 10/2/03

Law U.S. law mandating the creation of a foreign student tracking system,

P.L. 104-208, Section 641 (pages 162 (law) and 165 (appropriations)of JKR hearing record)Internal IN S Documents ( JKR in possession while in Senate employ)

DO J/INS Certificate of Eligibility fo r Nonim migrant (F-1 /F-2/M-1 /M-2) Student 9.26.94: Memorandum to Jamie Gorelick (DAG D OJ) from LouisFreeh (Director Office of Investigative A genc y Policies) re improvingDOJ's law enforcement capabilities re aliens entry an d departuresfrom the U.S. 1.01.95: Memorandum on Receipt of Final Report of the Task Forceon Foreign Student Controls to HQAD N M ichael Aytes to Chris Sale,Deputy Co mm issioner through T.Alexander Aleinkoff, Exec Assoc.Comm'r fo r Programs an d through Louis Crocetti, Jr., AssociateComm'r fo r Examinations 5.11.95: Executive Summary to DO J DA G from Comm issioner INSre Imm igration Controls on Foreign Students

9.26.95: Status Rep ort on the Foreign Student Controls Task Force toAmy D. Jeffress, Special Assistant to DAG from Chris Sale, DeputyCommissioner INS (transmittal letter and report) 10.11.95: INS Commissioner Doris Meissner's Approval for StudentRegistration Initiative with discussion of key elements

12.22.95: Memorandum on Formal Report of the Task Force onForeign Student Controls to Michael Aytes from Maurice Berez, TaskForce C oordinator through Yvonne Lafleur, Chief, NonimmigrantBranch HQADN

12.22.95: INS Final Report by the Task Force on Foreign StudentControls "Controls Governing Foreign Students: and Schools ThatAdmit Them" (served as roadmap for CIPRIS) 5.13.96: Ltr from IN S Adjudication Officer Rachel Figueroa-Colon toIN S Chief of Business and Trade Services Branch Y vonne LaFleur reCIPRIS T ask Force Leader Maurice Berez 9.30.96: Public Law 104-208, Section 641: Program to Collect

Information Relating to No nimm igrant Foreign Students an d OtherExchange P rogram Recipients. 1.8.97: Regu lation No tice, Request fo r volunteers to Participate in aForeign/Exchange V isitor Program. 9.97: Washington Institute forNear East Policy, "U.S. Issuing Visasto Students from Terrorism-Supporting Countries in Middle East toStudy Weapons-Related Sciences


33/55

14

9.26.97: www.ins.usdoi.gov/cipris/general.htm 2.98: President's budget and fact sheets on implementing the

President's Immigration Initiative 2.9.98: Email from Kenneth Kreutter to Mike Hatcher directing a stop-work on CIPRIS due to funding cuts 2.19.98: Fax to Janice Kephart re "the impending death of a nationalCIPRIS-student tracking system" 2.19.98: Ltr from Rep. Charles Schumer to Hon. Janet Reno re student

visas and implementation of CIPRIS 3.31.98: Ltr from Sen.s Jo n Kyi an d Rick Santorum to Comm'r DorisMeissner re implementation of CIPRIS (p. 176 JKR hearing record) 7.16.98: Ltr from Allen Erenbaum, Director of CongressionalRelations, INS, to Sen. Jon Kyi re implementation of CIPRIS an dinviting staff for a demonstration. 8.7.98: Memo to the INS Policy Council from Michael Cronin, ActingAssociate commissioner, Programs re the use of the student /exchange

visitor card in the CIPRIS Pilot. 8.20.98: Ltr from Comm'r Meissner to Sen. Jon Kyi reimplementation of CIPRIS (p. 177 JKR hearing record) 8.21.98: CIPRIS briefing materials received by JKR at demonstration,

with notes 12.10.98: INSMemorandum on Coordinated Interagency partnershipregulating International Students (CIPRIS) for the D eputyCommissioner from Maurice Berez, Project Lead through ExecutiveAssociate Comm'r fo r Policy an d Planning 2.5.99: DOS Memorandum Deputy Assistant Secretary for VisaServices Nancy Sambaiew to CA/EX Frank Moses re CIPRISrequesting DOS support in maintaining CIPRIS timetable withsignature of Moses approving 2.22.2000: Ltr from Sen. Spencer Abraham and 20 other Senators toDoris Meissner re INS Student Tracking system (postpone levy offees)

Congressional documents 10.9.2001: U.S. House M emorandum from Keith Ausbrook and BrianZimmer, Senior Investigators for House Judiciary Committee toMem bers, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims re SubcommitteeOversight Hearing on INS Information Technology 2.24.98: Relevant portions of Senate Judiciary Subcomm ittee onTerrorism, Technology, and Government Information 1998 hearingrecord: "Five Years After the W orld Trade Center: Foreign TerroristOperations in America" other relevant hearings/staff reports or memos

NonProfit Reports


34/55

15

Dec. '99: Washington Institute forNear East Policy "TrackingStudents from Terrorism-Supporting Middle-Eastern Countries: AnUpdate" by Benjamin Orbach

Articles 1.8.97: DOJ/INS "Request ForVolunteers to Participate in a Foreign

Student/Exchange Visitor Program Pilot" [INS No. 1800-96] 3.9.98: U.S. News & World Report "American Colleges are

'Weapons U.' for Iraq; No one tracks thousands of students fromterrorism sponsoring countries" (mentions CIPRIS) by DouglasPasternak Summer 1997: International Educator "Trial Balloon or TrojanHorse? For CIPRIS Pilot Schools the Future IsNow" by Kyna Rubin 9.19.97: Chronicle of Higher Education "A Close Watch onForeignStudents: U.S. Tests aNew System That Critics Call Orwellian" by

Amy Rubin


35/55

H. Kean

CHA I RBen-Veniste

ClelandF. Fielding

S. GorelickGortonF. Lehman

J . RoemerR . Thompson

D. ZelikowD I R E CTOR

September 24 , 2003

The Honorable Mary Ann WyrschDeputy High CommissionerUnited Nations High Com mission on RefugeesCase Postale 2500CH-1211 G eneve 2 DepotSuisseDear Ms. Wyrsch:The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States isdirected b y statute to investigate th e facts an d circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, includ ing the nation's preparedness for,and imm ediate response to, those attacks, as well as to evaluate the lessonslearned from those attacks and to mak e recommendations fo r preventing futureattacks. As part of its investigation, the Com mission hereby requests tointerview y ou on issues relating to your positions as INS Deputy Commissionerand Acting Com missioner, as well as your current position as it relates to U.S.policy on refugees. The Com mission anticipates that classified information maybe discussed at this interview. We would also like to discuss your views on thefuture of immigration and border co ntrol policy since September 11 to combatterrorism.Janice Kephart-Roberts, a member of the Commission's professional staff, willmake the arrangements fo r your interview. The Commission would like toconduct your interview up on you r nex t return to the United States during theweek of October 6 in New York or Washington, D.C., whichever location ismore convenient fo r you. At least tw o members of the Commission's staff willattend your interview, and the general policy of the Commission is to taperecord interviews. Please call Joanne A ccolla at 202.401.1774 as soon aspossible to discuss the time an d location of your interview. Please call JaniceKephart-Roberts at 202.401.1705 to raise an y other questions you may have.Thank you very much in advance fo r your time and for your cooperation withthe Commission and its staff in this important matter.Yours sincerely,

Philip ZelikowExecutive Director30 1 7 lh Street SW, Room 5125Washing ton , DC 20407T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545www.9-11 commission.gov


36/55

U.S. Departmentof JusticeImmigrat ion and Naturalization Service

'4tf i'lM/r

of towtd of

ment

f i * ^ ft * % ^ '# ^ ' ' * * ^ > ^,4, t *^1 I V


37/55

U .S . D E P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C EI M M I G R A T I O N A N D N A T U R A L I Z A T I O N S E R V I C E

M A R C H 2 0 0 1

J

DebitsforU.N. Post

WYRSCH DEPARTSFOR U.N. POST;;}ROONEY COMESON BOARD A%.v". i ,},, ,$&!. -ACTING INS i f fcoM M is si

) Rooncy Arrwes from th e Executive,sOffice of Imnugiatwm Review

Berks Family Shelter inPennsylvania is designed to providesafe a nd stable housing fo r familiesplaced in INS custody.

From New York to Anchorage,INS district o f f i c e s rolled ou tspecial citizenship ceremonies fo rchildren in February.

LIFELines, a Web-accessed servicedevised by the Career SustainmentProgram fo r INS staff.

VOLUME 23, NUMBER 3 WWW.INS.USDOJ.GOV


38/55

.'-fi AV 19 *1 */ " ' . - - TO: THRU:Regional Directors N/ASUBJECT:Revision of State Department's Automated TIPOFF SystemMemorandum of Understanding (MOU)

S U S P E N S E D A TE :N/A

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y :1. Purpose. To provide a copy of the final version of the revised MOU, with an explanation of its

effect, and to request that it be widely distributed with field officer personnel.2. Discussion. The revised MOU expands TIPOFF system input from exclusively terrorists, to

include organized crime figures.

3. Recommendation. Approve th e memorandum. Upon signature, it will be distributed by the actionoffice.C O N C U R R E N C E S *

N A M ELouis NardiKenneth Elwood

Michael Pearson

OFFICEENF/INVO PSDEAC/ENFO PSE A CO PS

SIGNATURE

ACTION OFFICER(S)/OFFICE/EXTENSION:D an Cadman, OPS/ENF/NSU 202-305-1731 V ^

DATE COMMENTS

DATE:12 MAR 99

' On approval and signature, please return to action officer for reproductionand distributionC:\ANTITERR\TIP-RD.RTE


39/55

U.S. Department of JusticeImm igration and Naturalization Service

HQOPS50 /5 .11 -POffice of the Execu t iv e Associa te Comm iss ioner 425 I Street NWWashington, DC 20536

M E M O R A N D U M FOR REGIONAL DIRECTORSFROM: Michael A. Pe arsonExecutive Associate Commissioner,Office of Field Ope rationsSUBJECT: Revised Memorandum ofUnderstanding -Department of State Automated TIPOFF System

Attache d for your information and review, you w ill find a copy of a rec ently rev isedmemorandum of understanding (MOU) between th e Department of State (DOS), th e U.S. CustomsService (USCS), and the Immigration an d Naturalization Service (INS).This MOU relates to DOS's automated TIPOFF system. That system is the intragovernmentalrepository for terrorist informa tion that feeds the D OS consular loo kout system* CLASS; the USCSlookout system, TEC S II; and the INS lookout system , NA ILS.The MO U revises the language of a pre vious version to incorporate updated pract ices and

procedures. M ore importantly, i t ex pands the T IPO FF system bey ond terrorism, and authorizes theentry of data relating to organized crime suspects, initially from territories of the former SovietUnion, an d internationally the rea f t e r . The language is the resul t of negotiations and discussionsamong an d between th e signatory agencies, an d those intel l igenc e agencies of the FederalGovernment that provide the pre dicating data to the De partme nt of State.The changes wil l be transparent to users ofTIPOFF data - prim arily, Immigration Inspectors atports of en try throughout th e Un ited States. They w ill continue to access it via the NAILS system,and on-line screens will continue to provide users with instructions an d points of contact in theevent of a hi t .Please distribute this me mo randum and the MO U as widely as possible with district, sector,suboffice an d port of entry managers within your respective areas of jurisdiction.

Attachment


40/55

Page 1 of 1

AccollaJoanne Accolla [email protected]]Monday, September 29, 2003 9:57 AM'[email protected]@9-11commission.gov1Meeting on October 10 @ 2 p.m. in New York City

you for your voice mail message today confirming Ms. Wyrsch's interview on October 10 at 2:00 p.m.our New York office. Listed below is the address of our New York office and contact telephone numbers:Federal Plaza

13-100w York, NY 10278

Ginsburg's cell phone #: 202.550.0025Kephart-Roberts' cell phone #: 202.236.7319u haveany questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you again for your assistance.AssistantCommission on Terrorist

the United States


41/55

Page 1 of 1Site map Contact us About this website

OonorsJPartnersPublications

Research/EvaluationExecutive CommitteeAdministrationSpecial eventsHo w you can help

U N H C R is based in Geneva, Switzerland.Our address:United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesCase Postale 2500CH-1211 Geneve 2 Depot o> ^Suisse.Our telephone number:+41 22 739 8111 (automatic switchboard).To contact us electronically, chooose anoption from below:To contact UNHCR Headquarters click hereTo contact a U N H C R Field O ffice select from thelist below:- choose a country -

Search UNHCR Online

Advanced Search OptionsSearch Tips

Copyright 2002 UNHCR. All Rights Reserved. Site design by Pentagram. Read our Privacy Policy.

9/15/2003


42/55

Joanne AccollaFrom: Beverley Jane Cole [[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 2:12 AMTo: [email protected]: Re: Beverly - we would like to fax the from the 9-11 Commission to Ms. Wyrsch - can youplease give me y

Joanne - your message was in the subject line and didn't finish but I guess you wanted thefax number! Which is: +41 22 739 73 47. Regards, Beverley.> "Joanne Accolla" 24/09/03 21:02:17 >

Joanne M. AccollaStaff AssistantNational Commission on Terrorist

Attacks Upon the United States202 [email protected]


43/55

Joanne Acco llaFrom:Sent:To:Cc:Subject:

Janice [email protected]]Wednesday, September 17, 2003 10:54 [email protected]@9-1 1commission.gov; team5@9-1 1commission.govRE: Fwd: Interview Requests - Mary Ann Wyrsch

Chris,Issue resolved, we think, as to Ms. Wyrsch, as we were told this morning she will be backin NYC the week of Oct. 6. We are awaiting her schedule and whether we need to go to NYC(Susan and I) or she will come to B.C.Janice----- Original Message -----From: [email protected] [mailto : [email protected]]Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 10:49 AMTo: [email protected] : [email protected]: Re: Fwd: Interview Requests - Mary Ann WyrschSteve -- I have discussed w/ Janice, re: telephone conf . call since Wyrsch willnot be back in the States any time soon, earliest in Nov. Janice talked about aVTC, but I told her I would want to see cost figures and didn't, from myexperience, see much added value from a VTC (although mine have beenpictorially inferior secure VTCs) .I guess its OK to state the request as is, understanding that all the detailsas noted above need to be worked out .Quoting "" :> for your review>> ----- Forwarded message from Joanne Accolla> > -----> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 11:03:41 -0400> From: Joanne Accolla > Reply-To: Joanne Accolla > Subject: Interview Requests - Mary Ann Wyrsch> To: "" >> Attached for your approval. Thanks .

> Joanne M. Accolla>> Staff Assistant>> National Commission on Terrorist>> Attacks Upon the United States>> 202.401.1774>> [email protected]


44/55

Page 1 o f 2

Basic facts

R e s e a r c t W E valuation

Special eventsHow you can help

Click hereto donate

edia p r o f e s s iona l s login

You a re in : NewsToday ' s da te : Monday , 15 September2003UNHCR Press ReleasesMary Ann Wyrsch appointed DeputyHigh CommissionerG E N E V A - Ms. Mary Ann Wyrsch, the acting U.S.Immigration and Naturalization Servicecommissioner, has been appointed the new U.N.Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees.Announcing the appointment Wednesday, HighCommissioner Ruud Lubbers said M s . Wyrschbrings to UNHCR "very broad and rich managementexperience a s a particularly valuable asset." M r.Lubbers, who took over as High Commissioner onJanuary 1, said Secretary-General Kofi Annan fullysupported the choice of Ms. Wyrsch, who assumesher new post on April 1.Ms. Wyrsch, who was born in K a n s a s City, is acareer U.S. government employee. She was namedDeputy Commissioner of the Immigration andNaturalization Service (INS) in March 1998 and hasserved as the acting INS Commissioner since lastNovember, following the resignation of Ms. DorisMe is s n e r . Ms. Wyrsch managed the day-to-dayoperations of more than 30,000 INS employeesworldwide.Mr. Lubbers said Ms. Wyrsch's specificresponsibilities will include the function ofcontroller; responsibility for information systemsand technology; management of human andfinancial resources; and the supervision ofcommunication and information. She will alsorepresent the High Commissioner whenevernecessary.Ms . Wyrsch holds a Master of Arts Degree fromGeorgetown University a s well as an MA in PublicAdministration from the Kennedy School ofGovernment at Harvard University. She receivedher BA degree from Webster College in St. Louis in1965.She began her government career in the Office ofEconomic Opportunity and later joined theDepartment of Labor, where she served in severalsenior positions prior to joining the INS. Thoseposts at the Department of Labor included directorof budget; director of the Unemployment InsuranceService; and chief of operations for the

Mary A nn WyrschR es t r i c t to News

> A d v a nce d Se a r ch Opt ions> Search Tips> Search =St?VlOrld

Related stories:13Sep 2003 | Africa N ew sServ icesU.S. contributes additional$28.3 million to UNHCR25 Aug2003 | AFP Engl ish W i r e

US blocks UN resolution onprotecting humanitarianworke r s5 Aug 2003 | AFP English W i r eCuban-Amer ican leadersoutraged by repatriation ofCubans4 Aug 2003 | The Assoc ia t edPressUSA: More than 50 Cubanmigrants re leas ed in Florida, 19others detained28 Ju l 2003 | Financ ia l TimesWashington to relaunch Afghanrecons t ruc t i on25 Jul 2003 | NewYork TimesHai t ians a re held in U.S. desp i t egrant of asylum21 Jul 2003 | AFP Engl ish W i r eUS defends return of Cubanboa t h i jackers as ant i -Cas t rolawmake rs protest17 Jul 2003 | Itar-TassArm en ia den i e s comment onT u rkme n am b as s ado r de fec t i onto US

p://www.unhcr.chycgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/+3wwBmEevEudwwww3wwwwwwwhFqnNObItFqnDni5AFq... 9/15/2003


45/55

September 16, 2003

Deputy High Commissioner Mary Ann WyrschUnited Nations High C omm ission on RefugeesCase Postale 2500CH-1211 Geneve 2 [email protected] Ms. Wyrsch:The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States isdirected by statute to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including the nation's preparedness for,and immediate response to, those attacks, as well as to evaluate the lessonslearned from those attacks and to make recommendations fo r preventing futureattacks. As part of its investigation, the Com mission hereby requests tointerview you on issues relating to your positions as INS Deputy Commissionerand Acting Commissioner, as well as your current position as it relates to U.S.policy on refugees. The Commission anticipates that classified information maybe discussed at this interview. We would also like to discuss your views on thefuture of immigration an d border security.Janice Kephart-Roberts, a member of the Commission's professional staff, willmake the arrangements fo r your interview. The Commission would like toconduct your interview in November 2003, or upon your next return toWashington, D.C., whichever date is earlier in time. At least two members ofthe Commission's staff will attend your interview, and the general policy of theCommission is to tape record interviews. Please call Joanne Accolla at202.401.1774 as soon as possible to discuss the time and location of yourinterview. Please call Janice Kephart-Roberts at 202.401.1705 to raise anyother questions you m ay have.Thank you very much in advance fo r your time and for your cooperation withthe Commission and its staff in this important matter.Yours sincerely,

Philip ZelikowExecutive Director


46/55

. . : -

% U N i T e '

Thomas H. KeanC H A I R

Lcc M . HamiltonV I C E C H A I R

R ichard Bcn-Veniscc

M ax Clcland

Fred F-Fielding

Jamie S.Gorelick

Slade Goiton

John Lehman

Timothy J, Rocmcr

James R , Thompson

PhiKp D- ZelikowC . X E C U T IVE D / R . E C T O H

FAX COVER SHEET

To:Fax#:

Janice Kephart-Roberts212.264.1595

From: Joanne -202.401.1774Date: October 10, 2003Number ofPages (including cover sheet): /

0

) . 0 9 0 4

T E L (202) 331-4060F A X (202) 296-5545

hnp://ww>.9-t1commission.gov


47/55

O C T . 1 0 . 2 0 0 3 9 : 3 7 A M 9 - 1 1 C O M M I S S I O N N O . 0 9 0 4 P , 2

QUESTIONSGREG BEDNARZ AND JACK SHAWOCOTBER 9,2003Background of each.

Areas to discuss.Roles and responsibilities via organizational charts.

Understand the difference b/w the field and hdqtrs and who got what information.Role of theNSU Unit.Role of intelligence.Role of the Lookout Unit.Role of counsel's office in special interest cases.Headquarters Operations C enter.Headuarters Intelligence Division.

Policy priorities of the '90s.What were they and how did these priorities affect other resources?What budget resources ever went to CT?

Response to CT events of the 1990s. Subsequent to the events discussed below , wereany analyses, strategies, or resource allocations put aside or sought?How did INS respond to W TC '93?

To PDD-39 in '95?The conspiracy to bomb N YC landmarks in '95?The Brooklyn Bomb Plot of '97?To the Africa bombings of '98?


48/55

O C T , 1 0 . 2 0 0 3 9 : 3 7 A M 9 - 1 1 C O M M I S S I O N N O . 0 9 0 4 P . 3

To Ressam and the millennium plot in late 1999?At what point did the INS become aware that CT was within thejurisdiction ofthe INS and a necessary function of the INS?Counterterrorism policy.a. Within INSWho was tasked with CT policy

Who was tasked with CT operations,

To what extent did hdqtrs know of CT operations ongoing?

Who ever briefed the commissioner on CT policy, programs or operations?Were you aware of UBL as a threat? Did anyone see UBL as a threat and that theINS had a role to play on the borders and in internal enforcement b/c of INS exclusive

Title 8 authority?

b. Outside INS

Who did Commissioner and Deputy answer to on a day to day basis?

Was DOT supportive of INS in CT? Ever discuss CT with INS?

Any known contact with Dick Clarke or the NSC on any matters?

Any interest by Congress hi CT?

Any interest of FBI other than involvement in JTTFs and FBI Hdqtrs detailees?

The CIA? DIA?


49/55

O C T . 1 0 . 2 0 0 3 9 : 3 7 A M 9 - 1 1 C O M M I S S I O N N O . 0 9 0 4 P , 4

Did the detailees at CIA or FBI ever report back to Meissner or Sales orWyrschor Rooney or Ziglar?


50/55

O C T . 0 . 2 0 0 3 9 : 3 7 A M 9 - C O M M I S S I O N N0. 0 9 0 4 P . 5

January 26-27, 2004: BOR DERS, TRANSPORTATION, AND MANA GING RISK1. Watchlists and visas;Mary Ryan, Gofer Black, Dale WatsonMaura Harty, John Brennan, Mike R esnick2. Immigration inspections and law enforcement:Doris Meissner, James Ziglar3. Borde r and transportation security.

Asa Hutchinson4. Border security:Marc G rossman, Paul McHale, Ed Eberhart, Richard C . Bonner5. Aviation security:Jane G arvey, James M . Loy6. Risk management:

Tom Ridge


51/55

Page 1 of 1

Basic f ac t s Yo u are in: NewsToday's date: Monday, 15 September 2003Briefing NotesDeputy High Commissioner ends WestAfrica trip

Click hereto donate

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson KrisJanowski - to whom quoted text may beattributed - at the pressbriefing, on 24 January 2003, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Deputy High Comm issioner M ary Ann W yrsch today(Friday) visited 18 3 predominantly Liber ianrefugees, including 73 chi ldren, who have beenliving in a col lective centre in Abidjan sinceSeptember , when their homes in the city'sshantytowns were razed by Ivorian security forces.Ms. W yrsch told the refugees she was concernedabout their safety and the general si tuation in Coted'lvoire. She also reiterated a cal l for refugees tostay out of the conflict and top resist attempts torecruit them. There have been reports ofrecruitment of Liber ian refugees by the war r ingparties, particularly in western regions of thecountry where there has been fighting since mid-November. Later today, Ms. Wyrsch was scheduledto meet with Cote d'lvoire's foreign minister, aswel l as members of the diplomatic corps,humanitarian community representatives andUNHCR staff, before wrapping up her 11-day tourof West Afr ica.O n Thursday, she also m et with the First Lady,Mme. Simone Gbagbo. Ear l ier in the day, M s.Wyrsch v is ited the VOA c a mp fo r Sierra Leoneanrefugees, near Monrovia and encouraged them togo home. She mentioned the upbeat spir i t she hadwitnessed among th e returnees in the Kailahundistrict, in eastern Sierra Leone, which she visitedon Monday. UNHCR recently started promotingreturn to Sierra Leone as part of a strategy to f indsolutions for an est imated 100,000 Sierra Leoneansstill refugees in the region. An est imated 17,500Sierra Leonean refugees remain in Liber ia.The Deputy High Commissioner returns to Genevaon Sunday.

Mary Ann WyrschH Restrict to News

> Advanced Search Options> Search Tips> Search

Related stories:28 Jan 2003 | UNHCR BriefingNotesWest Africa: Deputy HighCommissioner to give pressbriefing tomorrow23 Jan 2003 | A g e n c e FrancePresseUNHCR official appeals for aid totackle with Ivory Coast refugees21 Jan 2003 | UNHCR BriefingNotesWest Africa: Deputy HighCommissioner in Sierra Leone21 Jan 2003 | UNHCR NewsStoriesMore funds and goodwill neededin volatile West Africa, says topUNHCR official

Story date: 24 Jan 2003Briefing NotesCopyright 2003 UNHCR. All Rights Reserved. Site design by Pentagram. Read our Pr ivacy Policy.

w.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/hom 9/15/2003


52/55

Page 1 of6

Basic tacta

Protecting refugeesDonors/Partner*Publicanona

IteMMreh/EvaliutionEiecuUve CommitteeAdmlnfetrittonSpecial event*How you can help

** f* *- fr

You are in: AdministrationToday 's date: Monday, 15 September 2003High Commissioner's StatementsAddress by Mary Ann Wyrsch, UnitedNations Deputy High Commissionerfor Refugees, to the graduates ofWebster University at theCommencement ceremonyGeneva, 11 May 2001Director-General Spencer, members of the Faculty,graduands , ladies and gentlemen,To be able to have contact with W ebster Universityhere in Geneva is particularly pleasing for me givenmy own l inks to this institution via the orig inal St.Louis campus . To be invited on this occasion to bethe Commencement Speaker and to receive aDist inguished Alumna Award is a privilege fo r whichI am deeply grateful.I come to th is podium both as a former graduate,an d because of my present wo rk as aninternational civi l servant. The time between thesetw o events has been an odyssey that has taken mefrom very memorable and enriching years in St.Louis, Missouri, to this internationally diversecampus on the shores of Lake Gen eva, whe reothers arepreparing forsimi lar jou rneys. I wou ldlike to use this occas ion to pay tr ibute to theinstitution which prepared me - in and outside thelecture room - for the commencemen t of myjourney through l i fe. I amthrilled to be awitnessand participate in a commencement ceremony thatwil l launch so many jou rneys f rom W ebster 'sGeneva campus .Today, many of you have come to a significantpoint in you r l i fe 's journey. W hether you arecomple t ing you r first adv anced degrees, or havecompleted Mas ters ' wo rk that provides you withadditional credentials and skills, you have come toa point from which there wil l begin newexper iences and chal lenges.There are many precepts and platitudes that will beshared by commencement speakers all ove r th ewor ld as new sets of graduates part ic ipate inceremonies such as this. I am reminded, as I standhere with you, o f some caut ionary words from theAmerican writer, John Steinbeck, who o nce w rote,"N o one wa nts advice, only cor roborat ion! " . So ,

[t-f, i


53/55

Page 1 of 7

Bwlctect*

Protecting refugeesDonors/Partner*

ExecutiveCommitteeAdmlnUlraUonSpoctal aventsHow you can help

You are in: Executive CommitteeToday 's date: Monday, 15 September 2003Standing CommitteeOpening remarks by Ms. Mary AnnWyrsch, Deputy United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees, at themeeting of the Standing Committee, 5March 2002

(no doc.symbol)M r. Chairman,Excellencies,Distinguished delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,It is a privilege and a pleasure to welcome you, andto extend to you the greetings of the HighCommissioner on the occasion of the opening ofthis Standing Committee meeting - the first in thenew year of 2002.W e meet at a time when the repercussions of 9/11continue to influence the global political, economicand social environment; when multi-lateralapproaches to global problems appear to be underchallenge and when the global economy still suffersfrom recession and stagnancy. In this regard, thisweekend's vote in Switzerland to join the UnitedNations has been extremely heartening.The work of UNHCR - as with all humanitarianaction - is inevitably framed by global trends. Whilethere can be no compromise on our humanitarianobjectives, our resources and our manoeuvrabilityfor action are inevitably affected by the vicissitudesof international developments. And so, as werejoice in the international recognition that the UNha s received through the award of the CentennialNobe l Peace Prize, we also increase our resolve tocontinue our work for the protection of allindividuals uprooted by conflict.The Standing Committee meetings provide us witha welcome opportunity to demonstrate ouraccountability to the international community andto be transparent in the approaches we haveadopted in our work. UNHCR is making its owncontribution to fulfilling not only our mandate butalso the priorities of the U.N.Secretary-General'ssecond term of office. We are committed toworking more cohesively with our partners in theUN system and with governments and civil society

Mary AnnWyrsch ]I I Restrict to Executive

Committee Advanced Search Options Search Tipst Search

9/15/2003


54/55

[email protected] - Secondary education fo r refugees cannot be ignored, sa y experts Page 1 of 2

Secondary education for refugees cann otbe ignored, say experts Subject: [refugee-rights] Secondary education for refugees ca nno t be ignored, sayexperts From: o w n e r - h r - h e a d l i n e s @ h r e a . o r g D a t e : F r i , 20 Sep 2002 11:28:06 GMT To: r e f u g e e - r i g h t s @ h r e a . o r g

GENEVA, September 19 (UNHCR) - Lamenting the lack of adequate post-primaryschooling for refugees, UN refugee agency chief Ruud Lubbers has called formore efforts to bridge the gap between emergency and development aid toensure educati on for more than 1.5 million refugees of secondary school age."We must overcome the gap between emergency and development aid," saidLubbers on Wednesday, in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Deputy UN.'High Commissioner for Refugees, Mary Anne Wyrsch, at the opening of asymposium in Geneva on post-primary education for refugees. "At presentpost-primary education for refugees is a casualty of this gap. We must finda solution for this."In the two-day symposium organi sed by the Refu gee Education Trust (RET),more than 80 education sp ecialist s from 18 different countries met todiscuss ways of expanding secondary schooling for more tha n 1.5 millionteenage refugee s. RET was set up in May 2001 by former UNHCR chief SadakoOgata to improve post-primary education for refugees as a legacy of therefugee agency's 50th anniversary.According to RET, some 50,000 teenage refugees are in secondary school - amere three per cent of the 1.5 million refugees of secondary school-going age."We know that education gives refugees self-esteem and dignity, and thechance to solve their own problems, defend their rights and becomeself-reliant school," noted Lubbers in his statement. "But because oflimited funding and competing needs, UNHCR offices often find themselvesunable to dedicate a dequate funds to education."This yea r, the UN refugee agency has set aside $38 million for education.But most of its efforts and resources go to primary education.In a written messag e to participant s of the symposium, O gata, FoundingPresident of RET, said that she was saddened by the fact that UNHCR had toolittle funds to guarantee secondary education fo r many refugees. At thesame time, she appreciated the need for refugees to continue theireducation beyond primary level."During my time as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, I visite d manyrefugee camps all over the world," said the brief message from Ogata. "Icould see that the refugees themselves placed a very high value on

http://www.hrea.org/lists/refugee-rights/markup/msgOO 156.html 9/4/2003


55/55

Special MediaWithdrawal Notice

RG 148, Records of Legislat ive CommissionsRecords of th e National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon th e United States

The following item(s) have been withdrawn from this box:CD/DVLT- -~-Floppy disk

Videotape AudiocassetteComputer tape cartridge Other

Description: \ O ,

Series: Team 5 FilesB o x # : Folder title:: W - y r ^ - . U