San Bernardino Attacks Expose Flaws in Visa Program

The recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, is raising fresh questions about the vetting process for granting U.S. visas.

The Pakistan-born attacker, Tashfeen Malik, was reportedly vetted by Homeland Security, the State Department, and even had a criminal background check.

Even so, investigators failed to spot some glaring red flags before granting her a fiancée visa.

Malik had freely posted her radical Islamic views on social media. Some of the posts were to American Syed Rizwan Farook, who wanted to marry her.

Now lawmakers are calling to revise the visa process.

"Had they checked out Tashfeen Malik a little more, maybe she wouldn't have gotten a visa. Maybe those people in San Bernardino would be alive," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said.

"I'm asking to immediately initiate a program that would check the social media sites of those admitted on visas to see if they are using words and talking about things like jihad, explosives, mass shootings," he said. "It's outrageous that this isn't already done."

U.S. officials say Malik and Farook discussed martyrdom and jihad as early as 2013.