Privacy Act; System of Records: State-59, Refugee Case Records, 5865-5867 [2012-2626]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 24 (Monday, February 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5865-5867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2626]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 7787]


Privacy Act; System of Records: State-59, Refugee Case Records

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Department of State proposes 
to consolidate two existing systems of records, Refugee Case Records, 
State-59 and Refugee Processing Center Records, State-60, pursuant to 
the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a) 
and Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-130, Appendix I. The 
consolidated system will be titled State-59, Refugee Case Records.

DATES: This system of records will be effective on March 19, 2012 
unless we receive comments that will result in a contrary 
determination.

ADDRESSES: Any persons interested in commenting on the amended system 
of records may do so by writing to the Senior Advisor for Privacy 
Policy, A/

[[Page 5866]]

GIS; Department of State, SA-2; 515 22nd Street NW., Washington, DC 
20522-8001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Senior Advisor for Privacy Policy, A/
GIS; Department of State, SA-2; 515 22nd Street NW., Washington, DC 
20522-8001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of State proposes that the 
proposed system retain the name ``Refugee Case Records.'' In accordance 
with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Department of State proposes to 
consolidate two record systems: State-59, Refugee Case Records (72 FR 
45081) and State-60, Refugee Processing Center Records (72 FR 45084) 
into one system of records. State-60, Refugee Processing Center Records 
will be removed from the Department of State's inventory of record 
systems. The proposed system will include revisions to the following 
sections: Categories of Records, Purpose, Safeguards, Retrievability, 
and other administrative updates.
    The Department's report was filed with the Office of Management and 
Budget. The amended system description, ``Refugee Case Records, State-
59,'' will read as set forth below.

     Dated: January 23, 2012.
Joyce A. Barr,
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of State.
STATE-59

SYSTEM NAME:
    Refugee Case Records.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    (1) Refugee processing sites, such as designated U.S. embassies, 
consulates and/or offices of Resettlement Support Centers (agencies 
under cooperative agreement with the Department of State that assist in 
the processing of refugee applicants); and
    (2) The Refugee Processing Center, 1401 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 
22209.
    The Department of State may change processing locations as needed. 
A list of refugee processing sites is available from the Office of 
Admissions, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, SA-9, 8th 
floor, Department of State, 2505 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20520.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Individuals who have applied for admission to the United States 
under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; individuals in the United 
States who claim a relationship with certain family members overseas in 
order to establish their qualifications for applying for refugee 
admission to the United States family members of the individuals in the 
United States; and certain Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants who 
wish to access resettlement benefits in the United States.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Refugee or refugee-following-to-join (Visa-93) applications and 
supporting documentation, including required biographic, biometric 
(including, with respect to some individuals covered by the system, the 
results of DNA relationship testing), medical, security, and 
sponsorship information, as well as correspondence related to 
individual refugees including Affidavits of Relationship (AOR) 
submitted by relatives in the United States. Similar information is 
included for Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa applicants that 
have elected to receive resettlement benefits.
    Overseas, records include both hard copy case files and electronic 
records in the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS). 
The case record is entered or scanned by Resettlement Support Centers 
under cooperative agreement with the Department of State. WRAPS 
includes electronic information on individual applicants for admission 
to the United States as refugees, SIVs electing resettlement benefits, 
and U.S. based relatives.
    The categories of records maintained by the Refugee Processing 
Center (RPC) are primarily the electronic master records of overseas 
refugee applications in the WRAPS; data input records related to 
processing steps performed by the RPC; periodic and ad hoc statistical 
and case status reports related to refugee processing; and system audit 
reports.
    Records categories entered by the Refugee Processing Center include 
Affidavits of Relationship; series of alien numbers transferred by the 
Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services (USCIS); electronic files with biographic data of refugees 
referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); 
electronic files from the International Organization for Migration 
(IOM) with travel and arrival information; results of DNA relationship 
testing between anchor relatives in the United States and family 
members overseas to determine if they are qualified to apply for 
admission as refugees based on their familial relationship; security 
clearances from various U.S. Government agencies; and electronic files 
from resettlement agencies with sponsorship assurance and post-arrival 
information such as address, provision of services, English as a Second 
Language enrollment, employment, and Social Security numbers.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    8 U.S.C. 1522(b) (Authorization for Programs for Initial Domestic 
Resettlement of and Assistance to Refugees); 8 U.S.C. 1157 (Annual 
Admission of Refugees and Admission of Emergency Situation Refugees); 
Letter of President Carter of January 13, 1981, 17 Weekly Compilation 
of Presidential Documents, Pg. 2880 (Refugee Resettlement Grants 
Program); Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007, Public Law 110-181; 
Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, Public Law 111-8.

PURPOSE(S):
    Records in this system support the Bureau of Population, Refugees, 
and Migration in tracking and managing case processing of applicants 
for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program from application through the 
initial reception and placement period in the United States of those 
individuals approved for resettlement. This system is used for 
conducting security clearance checks on refugee applicants, verifying 
employment information, and matching up refugees with domestic 
resettlement agencies in the United States.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    These records may routinely be disclosed:
    (1) To the Department of Homeland Security to determine the 
eligibility and admissibility of individuals applying for admission to 
the United States as refugees or any other immigration benefit under 
U.S. law.
    (2) To the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to 
perform required medical examinations and arrange appropriate 
transportation to the United States, including departure and transit 
formalities.
    (3) To the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to 
coordinate resettlement and protection activities.
    (4) To members of Congress or other Federal, State, and local 
government agencies having statutory or other lawful authority, as 
needed for the formulation, amendment, administration or enforcement of 
immigration, nationality, and other laws of the United States.

[[Page 5867]]

    (5) To resettlement agencies to ensure appropriate placement in the 
United States.
    (6) To state refugee coordinators, health officials, and interested 
community organizations for statistical and demographic purposes.
    (7) To consumer reporting agencies (31 U.S.C. 3711), debt 
collection contractors (31 U.S.C. 3718) and the Department of the 
Treasury (31 U.S.C. 3716) to assist in the collection of indebtedness 
reassigned to the U.S. Government under the refugee travel loan program 
administered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
    The Department of State periodically publishes in the Federal 
Register its standard routine uses that apply to all of its Privacy Act 
systems of records. These notices appear in the form of a Prefatory 
Statement. These standard routine uses apply to the Refugee Case 
Records, State-59.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
    Electronic media and hard copy.

RETRIEVABILITY:
    Individual name, case number, alien number, and sponsor name.

SAFEGUARDS:
    WRAPS users at the Refugee Processing Center (RPC) are given cyber 
security awareness training by the contractor which covers the 
procedures for handling Sensitive but Unclassified information, 
including personally identifiable information. Annual refresher 
training is mandatory. All RPC employees are subject to a thorough 
background security investigation.
    At the Resettlement Support Centers (RSC) overseas, all paper 
records containing personal information are maintained in secured file 
cabinets in restricted areas, access to which is limited to authorized 
personnel only. RSC staff are briefed on the confidentiality of refugee 
data and instructed regarding proper handling procedures. Access to 
computerized files is password-protected and under the direct 
supervision of the system manager. Centralized electronic storage and 
retrieval assist operational managers at headquarters and overseas to 
identify and resolve processing delays, plan accurately for refugee 
arrivals, improve program analysis, and preserve overseas records in 
case of evacuation or disasters in overseas processing locations. The 
system manager has the capability of printing audit trails of access 
from the computer media, thereby permitting regular and ad hoc 
monitoring of computer usage.
    When it is determined that a user no longer needs access, the user 
account is disabled.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    Records are retired or destroyed in accordance with the published 
records schedules of the Department of State as approved by the 
National Archives and Records Administration. If individuals have been 
assigned alien numbers, their hard copy files are transferred to USCIS 
and subject to its disposition schedules. Electronic records at the RSC 
will be retained for five years after the last action has been taken on 
the case. At the RPC, WRAPS records are maintained offline for an 
additional 10 years, and then deleted when 15 years old. Statistical 
data are kept indefinitely.
    Hard copies of the results of the DNA relationship testing between 
individuals in the United States and family members overseas applying 
for admission based on their familial relationship will be destroyed 
immediately after relevant information is entered into Worldwide 
Refugee Admissions Processing System database by RPC staff.
    More specific information may be obtained by writing to the 
Director, Office of Information Programs and Services, SA-2, Department 
of State, 515 22nd Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-8001.

SYSTEM MANAGER AND ADDRESS:
    Director; Office of Admissions Bureau of Population, Refugees, and 
Migration, SA-9, 8th floor, Department of State, 2025 E Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20522.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
    Individuals who have reason to believe that the Office of 
Admissions, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration might have 
records pertaining to themselves should write to the Director, Office 
of Information Programs and Services, SA-2, Department of State, 515 
22nd Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-8001. The individual must specify 
that he or she wishes the Refugee Processing Center Records of a 
specific processing location to be checked. At a minimum, the 
individual should include: Name (and any aliases): date and place of 
birth; the approximate date of arrival in the United States; his or her 
immigration Alien number; current mailing address and zip code; and 
signature.

RECORD ACCESS AND AMENDMENT PROCEDURES:
    Individuals who wish to gain access to or amend records pertaining 
to themselves should write to the Director; Office of Information 
Programs and Services (address above).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    These records contain information obtained primarily from the 
individual who is the subject of these records, relatives, sponsors, 
members of Congress, U.S. Government agencies, Resettlement Support 
Centers, the Refugee Processing Center, resettlement agencies, 
international organizations, and local sources at overseas sites.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a (k)(1), records in this system may be 
exempted from subsections (c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H), and (I), 
and (f) of the Privacy Act. See 22 CFR 171.36 for more information.

[FR Doc. 2012-2626 Filed 2-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-24-P