Title 8, Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-110
§1105 Liaison with Internal Security Officers; Data Exchange
Title 8 › CHAPTER 12 — IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 1105
Summary
Let the Commissioner and the Administrator keep direct, ongoing contact with the Directors of the FBI and the CIA and with other internal security officers. They can get and share information to help enforce immigration and nationality laws and protect border and internal security. The Commissioner and the Administrator must also stay in close contact with each other so their work is coordinated, uniform, and efficient. The Attorney General and the FBI must give the Department of State and the Service access to certain NCIC files (including the NCIC-III Interstate Identification Index and the Wanted Persons File) so they can check visa and admission applicants for criminal records. The data will be given as record extracts, free of charge, with periodic updates. Agencies must update their databases and destroy old extracts. To get full criminal records, the Department of State must send fingerprints and any allowed processing fee to the FBI’s CJIS. The Department of State must issue final rules for fingerprinting and strict limits on use, sharing, security, destruction, and privacy no later than 4 months after October 26, 2001.
Full Legal Text
Title 8, §1105
Aliens and Nationality, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In general
The Commissioner and the Administrator shall have authority to maintain direct and continuous liaison with the Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency and with other internal security officers of the Government for the purpose of obtaining and exchanging information for use in enforcing the provisions of this chapter in the interest of the internal and border security of the United States. The Commissioner and the Administrator shall maintain direct and continuous liaison with each other with a view to a coordinated, uniform, and efficient administration of this chapter, and all other immigration and nationality laws.
(b)Access to National Crime Information Center files
(1)The Attorney General and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall provide the Department of State and the Service access to the criminal history record information contained in the National Crime Information Center’s Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III), Wanted Persons File, and to any other files maintained by the National Crime Information Center that may be mutually agreed upon by the Attorney General and the agency receiving the access, for the purpose of determining whether or not a visa applicant or applicant for admission has a criminal history record indexed in any such file.
(2)Such access shall be provided by means of extracts of the records for placement in the automated visa lookout or other appropriate database, and shall be provided without any fee or charge.
(3)The Federal Bureau of Investigation shall provide periodic updates of the extracts at intervals mutually agreed upon with the agency receiving the access. Upon receipt of such updated extracts, the receiving agency shall make corresponding updates to its database and destroy previously provided extracts.
(4)Access to an extract does not entitle the Department of State to obtain the full content of the corresponding automated criminal history record. To obtain the full content of a criminal history record, the Department of State shall submit the applicant’s fingerprints and any appropriate fingerprint processing fee authorized by law to the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(c)Reconsideration upon development of more cost effective means of sharing information
The provision of the extracts described in subsection (b) may be reconsidered by the Attorney General and the receiving agency upon the development and deployment of a more cost-effective and efficient means of sharing the information.
(d)Regulations
For purposes of administering this section, the Department of State shall, prior to receiving access to NCIC data but not later than 4 months after October 26, 2001, promulgate final regulations—
(1)to implement procedures for the taking of fingerprints; and
(2)to establish the conditions for the use of the information received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in order—
(A)to limit the redissemination of such information;
(B)to ensure that such information is used solely to determine whether or not to issue a visa to an alien or to admit an alien to the United States;
(C)to ensure the security, confidentiality, and destruction of such information; and
(D)to protect any privacy rights of individuals who are subjects of such information.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original, “this Act”, meaning act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, known as the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 1101 of this title and Tables.
Amendments
2001—Pub. L. 107–56 inserted “; data exchange” after “security officers” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted “and border” before “security of the United States”, and added subsecs. (b) to (d). 1994—Pub. L. 103–236 substituted “Administrator” for “Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs” in two places. 1977—Pub. L. 95–105 substituted “Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs” for “administrator” in two places.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–236 applicable with respect to officials, offices, and bureaus of Department of State when executive orders,
Regulations
, or departmental directives implementing the
Amendments
by section 161 and 162 of Pub. L. 103–236 become effective, or 90 days after Apr. 30, 1994, whichever comes earlier, see section 161(b) of Pub. L. 103–236, as amended, set out as a note under section 2651a of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. Statutory
Construction
Pub. L. 107–56, title IV, § 403(d), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 345, provided that: “Nothing in this section [enacting section 1379 of this title, amending this section, and enacting provisions set out as a note under this section], or in any other law, shall be construed to limit the authority of the Attorney General or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide access to the criminal history record information contained in the National Crime Information Center’s (NCIC) Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III), or to any other information maintained by the NCIC, to any Federal agency or officer authorized to enforce or administer the immigration laws of the United States, for the purpose of such
Enforcement
or administration, upon terms that are consistent with the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Act of 1998 (subtitle A of title II of Public Law 105–251; 42 U.S.C. 14611–16) [now 34 U.S.C. 40311–16] and section 552a of title 5, United States Code.” Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and
Transfer of Functions
For abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Transfer of Functions
, and treatment of related references, see note set out under section 1551 of this title. Reporting Requirement Pub. L. 107–56, title IV, § 403(b), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 344, provided that: “Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 26, 2001], the Attorney General and the Secretary of State jointly shall report to Congress on the implementation of the
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
8 U.S.C. § 1105
Title 8, Aliens and Nationality
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110