Summary
The applicant, a 29-year-old male, sought a security clearance under Guideline B, facing concerns primarily due to foreign influence from family members in Syria. Despite mitigating factors regarding friendships with individuals from Israel and Turkey, the applicant's ties to Syria, particularly through a retired military officer father-in-law, raised significant security risks. The application for security clearance was ultimately denied due to unresolved concerns regarding potential foreign influence.
Under Guideline B (Foreign Influence), the Statement of Reasons alleged the following: Applicant has relationships with his parents-in-law and sister-in-law, who are residents and citizens of Syria (1.a). Applicant's father-in-law is a retired military officer in Syria (1.b). Applicant has friendships with three friends who are residents and citizens of Israel (1.c). Applicant has a friendship with a Turkish citizen (1.d).
The judge denied the clearance. The government raised disqualifying conditions AG ¶ 7(a). The judge applied mitigating conditions AG ¶ 8(b), AG ¶ 8(c). The decision turned on the following: The applicant failed to provide sufficient information to mitigate security concerns regarding his relationships with his parents-in-law and sister-in-law in Syria; The applicant's father-in-law's status as a retired military officer in Syria raised significant security risks due to the U.S. government's designation of Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism; The applicant's wife maintains close relationships with her Syrian family, which creates an imputed obligation that raises security concerns.
Why the applicant was denied
- The applicant failed to provide sufficient information to mitigate security concerns regarding his relationships with his parents-in-law and sister-in-law in Syria.
- The applicant's father-in-law's status as a retired military officer in Syria raised significant security risks due to the U.S. government's designation of Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
- The applicant's wife maintains close relationships with her Syrian family, which creates an imputed obligation that raises security concerns.
Conditions referenced
- AG ¶ 7(a)raisedContact with Foreign Family Members
- AG ¶ 8(b)appliedNo Conflict of Interest
- AG ¶ 8(c)appliedCasual and Infrequent Contact
Key rule quoted
“[F]oreign contacts and interests . . .are a national security concern . . . if they create circumstances in which the individual may be manipulated or induced to help a foreign person in a way that is inconsistent with U.S. interest or otherwise made vulnerable to pressure and coercion by any foreign interest.”
Procedural posture
- SOR issuedNov 27, 2019
- Answer filed—
- Hearing heldSep 30, 2020rescheduled due to Covid-19 pandemic
- Decision dateFeb 3, 2021
Cite for
- Foreign Influence Concerns Under Guideline B
- Impact of Familial Ties on Security Clearance Eligibility
- Mitigating Factors Related to Casual Foreign Friendships