The Foreign Service Journal, September 2005

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 71 F O C U S O N D I P L O M A T I C S E C U R I T Y W ORKING T OGETHER FOR S ECURE B ORDERS , O PEN D OORS he 9/11 attacks underscored the fact that U.S. border security actually starts at our diplomatic missions around the world — specifically at the visa section window. Through its participation in the Assistant Regional Security Officer Investigator Program, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai (formerly Bombay), located in western India, is a leading exam- ple of effective cooperation between the Bureaus of Diplomatic Security and Consular Affairs. There, as at other posts around the world, the A/RSO-I Program is enhancing our capacity to combat passport and visa fraud, and to deal with suspected wanted persons and other potential threats at our windows, thereby raising the overall level of security for both our local and American staff. In 1996, DS and CA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to assign investigators to three of the highest-fraud posts in the world —Manila, Kingston and Lagos — to improve coordination between the two bureaus and bring to closure cases of possible visa and passport fraud. The MOU recognizes that these agents are in a unique position to respond promptly to allega- tions of fraud and malfeasance and to coordinate investi- gations with DS headquarters. For that reason, these particular assistant RSO positions have special reporting requirements and specific responsibilities under the MOU, in addition to the core responsibilities of an RSO. Their primary duties encompass visa and passport fraud investigations, fraud prevention training for post and host government authorities, liaison with law enforcement and other host government authorities on visa and pass- port fraud issues, and intelligence gathering as it relates to U.S. border security. Building on its initial success, the program expanded to Islamabad and Bogota in 2001, and Santo Domingo and Jakarta in 2004. In addition to those posts, which were added under the MOU, the Fiscal Year 2002 and 2003 9/11 budget supplemental enabled DS to create assistant RSO slots with similar duties at 18 other over- seas posts, including Mumbai, though they are not for- mally part of the framework. Taking a Bite out of Crime India is currently the second largest source of legal immigration to the U.S., the leading source of interna- tional students bound for our schools, and the leading source of skilled workers under the H1B program. In 2004, Consulate General Mumbai was the second lead- T T HE B UREAUS OF D IPLOMATIC S ECURITY AND C ONSULAR A FFAIRS ARE COOPERATING TO COMBAT PASSPORT AND VISA FRAUD AROUND THE WORLD . B Y A NTHONY F. R ENZULLI