Arab-Americans Reassured on Security Clearances

At a White House meeting on July 23, Arab-American leaders, in a two-hour, high-level briefing spanning many sensitive issues, reportedly were reassured it would become easier for members of the Arab-American community to attain federal security clearances.

New details about security clearance procedures for intelligence agency hires were laid out, including lifting the automatic dismissal of applicants with dual nationality and or foreign relatives, allowing non-minority applicants to be tracked using ‘heritage’ options on application forms…and scholarships for national security majors at Wayne State University in Michigan.

ClearedCommunity.com first reported last August on the government’s intention to ease clearance screening for Arab-Americans. One agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in October 2006, publicly acknowledged more intense screening of applicants with foreign contacts.

Filed Under: Reform, Adjudication