Summary: Aliens who apply to become naturalized citizens must meet certain requirements, such as being of good moral character. To determine whether an alien has been convicted of a crime that would preclude citizenship, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) submits the alien's fingerprints to the FBI, which researches whether that person has a criminal history record on file. Between September 1995 and September 1996, some aliens with disqualifying criminal felony convictions were improperly naturalized, probably because INS adjudicators were unaware of the results of an FBI check of the aliens' criminal history records. In addition, both the Justice Department's Inspector General and GAO have found problems with the fingerprinting component of the process. For example, persons intent on hiding their criminal backgrounds could have someone else complete the INS fingerprint card and then submit the prints as their own. In November 1996, the INS Commissioner announced changes intended to strengthen the naturalization process. However, an April 1997 report by Peat Marwick showed that INS has not ensured that its field units are carrying out the Commissioner's instructions.
