National Security Intelligence and Visa-issuing Agencies

Strictly speaking, should embassies and consulates be expected to act as intelligence agencies? If we consider that the terrorists behind the September 11, 2001 attacks entered the United States on valid visas issued by the State Department, the answer can only be “yes”. Criminals usually attempt to enter a given country using false information or forged documents to obtain a visa and this initial infringement of the law can be the beginning of a chain of more serious offenses with more farreaching consequences. If not correctly supervised, migration can contribute to an increase in cross-border organized crime in the recipient country, such as the trafficking of drugs, arms and people, and illegal immigration, sustains Pablo A. Lozano, who goes on to explain in detail how the implementation of a system for the gathering, analysis, processing and dissemination of information could turn embassies and consulates into our first line of defense, elevating them from mere visa-issuing entities to active participants in efforts to identify and eliminate national security risks, while assuring the economic, cultural and social benefits of legal migration.