by James Rosone
After getting lost once and being guided to the right location, Mike finally made it to his new home. Scanning the bullpen, he saw dozens of desks laid out in the center of the open-floorplan room, with offices and conference rooms set up along the edges. Looking for a corner office, Mike headed in that direction, assuming his new boss would probably have the largest office with the best view possible.
As he approached the office, he saw the name placard on the outside, which read, “Director Mallory Harper.”
Bingo, he thought.
Approaching the open door, Mike knocked on the door frame. At that moment, he saw his boss for the first time. She was a middle-aged woman with striking red hair and piercing green eyes.
Mike had been told that his new boss had been a senior advisor to Senator Diane Feinstein. She had practically run her intelligence committee staff prior to her political appointment to this position. Apparently, Mallory had worked with the intelligence community on behalf of the senator for nearly twelve years, despite having no actual intelligence training or experience. Somehow, she’d managed to pull it off—she was extremely bright and well connected.
Mallory looked up from what she was doing and signaled for him to come in and take a seat across from her. She finalized an email and then looked warmly at him and smiled.
“Hello, Mr. Stone, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. She extended her hand to shake his. “Or would you like me to just call you Michael?”
He shook her hand and said, “I’m equally glad to meet you, Ma’am. Mr. Stone sounds a bit too formal for me—let’s stick with Mike.” Then he cut right to the chase. “So, how may I be of assistance to your department? What are my objectives?” he asked.
She smiled at his directness. “You are all business, aren’t you? I was told that about you.” She sat back and then opened a folder that had been on the left side of her desk and began to read from it.
“I’ve been told by the Director of National Intelligence that you’re to be my official CIA liaison officer while you fill in as my deputy. Officially, in this office, you work for Homeland Security as far as anyone else is concerned. Unofficially, you and I and the DNI are the only ones that know who you really work for. Let’s try to keep it that way, shall we?” Her tone of voice indicated that she was not entirely thrilled with having a CIA officer assigned as her deputy.
Her gaze returned to the folder in front of her. “Your file has a lot of redacted pages in it, but it says here that you were in the Army for eight years, First Special Forces Battalion, detachment Delta. You separated from the military as a major after being wounded in Afghanistan in early 2002, and then you were recruited by the Agency while attending graduate school at the University of Oxford. You were then placed in the National Clandestine Service. You’ve had overseas assignments across the Middle East and, most recently, worked on an anti-ISIS task force.” As she read, she kept looking up at him, trying to size him up.
She paused. “So, let me be frank, Mike—are you a cowboy?” she asked. “Can I rely on you to carry out my orders, and thus those of the Director and the President, or do I need to keep you on a short leash?” Her voice suddenly had a sternness to it that Mike hadn’t expected.
Realizing she might be a bit more of an iron fist than he had first assessed, he immediately played the political game until he learned more about her. “Ma’am, I am an intelligence professional. I implement the strategies and plans given to me by those in charge,” he calmly replied, hoping this answer might satisfy her.
It seemed to do the trick. She smiled and responded, “I’m glad to hear that. Your predecessor had a problem following orders, and as you can see, he’s no longer here with us.”
He shuddered ever so slightly. He didn’t want to get on her bad side. He might hate the idea of working an office job at the flagpole, but he certainly didn’t want to get persona non grata status from an assignment.
She turned her monitor so they both could see it. “Our department was formed three years ago within the NCTC to work directly on a program that the President and National Senior Advisor trust me to handle. The objective is simple—we’re supposed to assess roughly three dozen cities across the country for suitability of the President’s new refugee resettlement program. We are also responsible for the intelligence screening and vetting of the refugees that have already passed a preliminary screening from the State Department. It’s our job to identify those that pose a risk and weed them out from the rest of the refugees and asylum seekers. This is a major program for the President, and thus it’s our department’s job to make sure it all goes smoothly.
“On top of all this, we still coordinate with TSA and Homeland to screen all travelers entering the country. So, as you can see, we have a huge mission with a lot of working parts to it, which is why I need a strong deputy who can help me manage this beast.”
She sighed before she continued. “What I need from you is for you to work with the local communities and law enforcement in these cities to get them all on board. We’ve already settled tens of thousands of refugees into many of these cities, but we have some that are doing everything they can to stop us. The governor of Texas, for example, has been an outspoken critic and has railroaded us at every turn. In comparison, we have the mayors of Chicago, Detroit, and San Francisco all offering to take in more refugees.” She was clearly annoyed at those who weren’t adhering to the President’s directive to accept refugees and asylum seekers from the Middle East and the Syrian conflict.
Having just spent the last three years leading the counter-ISIS task force in the Middle East, Mike knew more than most that these refugees and asylum seekers posed a serious security risk if not properly vetted. As Mallory continued to explain the department’s mission and what she wanted him to handle, he began to understand why his boss had sent him here. The Agency was concerned that the President or those around him might not fully understand or appreciate the tenacity of America’s enemies to use this program as a means of infiltrating the country.
Stone leaned forward, showing that he was paying attention. “What do you want me specifically to do?” he asked, ever the professional. He’d do what he was directed to do to the best of his ability, regardless of his own opinions.
Mallory seemed excited that he appeared eager to help. She explained, “I want you to travel to Detroit, Chicago, and San Francisco. Meet with the mayors’ offices there, and the local police and FBI offices. Find out what’s working in those cities with the refugee program and see if maybe we can replicate their process elsewhere.
“Then I want you to try to convince the governor of Texas and the other officials that are not playing ball to get with the program. Remind them that this is a presidential directive and they must comply. Take anyone from the office you would like with you, but I’d like a report by the end of the month on what’s working and what’s not, and recommendations to get the rest of these other cities to comply. Starting in January, we’re going to accelerate the program, so our office needs to be ready.”
Mike interrupted, “—You said accelerate the program. Can you elaborate?”
Mallory scowled. “I was still speaking, Mike. Please don’t interrupt me. To answer your question—starting in January, we’re going to move from accepting three thousand refugees and asylum seekers a month to accepting twelve thousand. I need to know where we can send most of them without having a negative impact on public safety.”
Mike waited a second to make sure he didn’t interrupt again, then he asked, “Perhaps I’m missing something. Why is the NCTC involved in this type of resettlement work? This is clearly a State Department or Homeland Security mission. If anything, we should be monitoring these individuals who are being resettled here.”
Appearing slightly annoyed at the question, Mallory replied, “NCTC is involved because we’re the ones doing the intelligence vetting for the State Department, not the FBI. We’re also certifying that these individuals don’t pose a threa
t and doing what we can to assist the cities and local law enforcement in taking these people in. This is also why your official cover is with Homeland Security. You’re our Homeland Security special agent officially assigned to be my deputy and help institute and streamline this initiative.”
They talked for another hour about the program’s objectives, and more specifically, what she wanted him to do. She said there were several people in her department that were against the initiative. She explained that they would routinely flag large numbers of people as dangerous, compared to those who were on board with the program. She wanted to know why these individuals seemed to be bent on flagging far more individuals than those who were supportive of the plan and see if there was some sort of bias going on. Mike told her that he would look into it and see if they were being flagged for legitimate reasons, or if there was something more at play.
Chapter 6
The Windy City
Chicago, Illinois
Mayor’s Office
Alexander Grant had been the mayor of Chicago for the past five years. He had been a close friend of the President and had helped to engineer his decisive win in 2008. The Commander-in-Chief had personally helped him with the mayoral race in 2010, so he owed him a debt of gratitude. One of the favors the President had called in was helping his administration with the resettling of refugees from Syria and the Middle East. Chicago, like other major cities in the country, was doing their part to help relocate the people of this war-torn region, offering them a new start—a chance at a better life for them and their families. Of course, there were those who fought this program tooth and nail, saying they were dangerous and could not be properly vetted, but in all reality, the refugees just wanted to escape and look for a better life.
Jorge Montoya, the mayor’s senior aide, had walked into Grant’s office to place a couple of documents on the mayor’s desk, along with the agenda for the refugee resettlement meeting. Mayor Grant walked in just as he was finishing his arrangement of those papers, and asked, “Jorge, are things set for the meeting with the people from D.C.?”
He turned around to look at his boss and responded, “Yes, Mr. Mayor. They should be arriving shortly.”
The mayor smiled. Jorge was extremely competent. As an organizational and IT whiz, he almost didn’t even need to ask any questions; he could trust that Jorge had it handled. Plus, it didn’t hurt anything that he was an openly gay Latino, so that scored him points with the Hispanic and LGBTQ communities as well.
*******
The taxicab deftly made his way through the morning rush-hour traffic, weaving through any gaps to steadily move ahead of the nearby competition. Michael Stone and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Jim Leary, held on for dear life as their driver routinely cut one person off after another. Eventually, the cab screeched to a halt in front of city hall. Mike paid the driver, making sure to get his receipt for the inevitable travel voucher that would have to be filled out at the end of the trip.
Stretching as he unfolded his large frame from the vehicle, Jim looked at Mike with an ashen face. Once he’d closed the door, he muttered, “I hate driving in cabs. I swear they’ll be the death of me one of these days.”
Mike chuckled. “Yeah, that guy was in a bit of a hurry,” he replied. The taxi had already sped off to look for his next fare.
“You ever been to Chicago before, Jim?” asked Mike, changing the topic.
Jim shook his head. “Surprisingly, no. My first assignment out of Quantico was to the New York field office. I spent eight years working white-collar crimes before transferring to the counterterrorism division in D.C. For whatever reason, Chicago was a quiet city when it came to terrorism. How about you?”
“Yeah. I grew up in the area, actually. I still have some cousins that live out in the suburbs,” Mike replied. The two of them made their way toward the mayor’s office.
Ten minutes later, Mike and Jim walked into Grant’s office. Alexander Grant gave them a quick look over as they walked in.
Mike kept himself from chuckling as he surmised the internal conversation of the mayor. One white guy, average height and build, and a muscular African American, both in their thirties. Definitely CIA.
Stepping forward, Alexander extended his hand as they approached him. “I’m Alexander Grant. I hope your trip into the city went well,” he said good-naturedly. He guided them to the chairs around the table.
“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Mayor. I’m Michael Stone, and this is Special Agent Jim Leary. We’re from the National Counterterrorism Center’s refugee resettlement program office. Director Harper sends her regards,” Mike said as he introduced the two of them.
“That’s nice of Mallory. How is she doing?” asked the mayor.
“She’s doing good. She’s very pleased with the help your team has provided.”
“Mallory and I worked together during the President’s first term, back when she was still with Feinstein’s office. Good people,” the mayor added.
Once Mike and Jim had sat down, Mayor Grant announced, “My Chief of Police should be here shortly, along with my deputy, who is largely responsible for handling the refugee program.”
Mike smiled and nodded. “That sounds great. They’re probably the folks we need to talk with most. Do you have any coffee available, by chance?” he asked, hoping to get a cup before the meeting started.
Jorge Montoya was quick to respond, “Yes, of course. Let me get you gentlemen some java before everyone arrives.” Then he quickly dashed off to get the group some coffee.
The mayor and Mike talked for a few minutes, until the Chief of Police and his deputy walked in. Everyone at the table stood, shook hands, and exchanged greetings.
Once all parties had been seated, Alexander began the introduction. “Mr. Stone, Agent Leary, this is Chief George Monroe. He can answer your questions about the public safety and crime stats concerning the refugee resettlements. Next to George is Melissa Mauly, one of my deputy mayors. She’s specifically running the refugee resettlement program for the city. She helps identify where we’re going to place new refugees as they arrive and helps them get settled in, find jobs, and locate any other immediate services they may need to make their transition as smooth as possible.”
Mike smiled. He was glad to have what appeared to be all the key players in the room needed to give him a thorough briefing of the Chicago program. “Thank you all for your time. I appreciate you agreeing to this short-notice meeting so we can discuss the program and how Chicago is leading the way for the rest of the country.”
The mayor clearly beamed at the idea that Chicago was a shining example for the nation. Everyone else in the meeting seemed quite pleased as well.
Gesturing toward the other agent with him, Mike continued, “This is Special Agent Jim Leary. He works with me at the National Counterterrorism Center. As you know, my name is Michael Stone. I am the deputy director for the refugee and asylum vetting program at the NCTC. I’ve been asked by our director, Mallory Harper, to meet with you and specifically ask how things with your program are going so we can work with other cities to try and use your program as a template, and to discuss with you an increase in the number of refugees we are going to need you to start accepting in January.”
The mayor broke in, saying, “It would be an honor to share our program with the other cities of our great nation. We’ve spent a lot of time and resources ironing out the kinks in our system to get it to where it is today.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” said Melissa Mauly, “but what specifically do you want to know?”
“OK, straight to it. We’d like to know what the process is from greeting the newly arrived refugees to how you get them integrated into the community,” Mike said as he indicated for his colleague to begin taking some notes and record the conversation.
Grinning, Melissa began, “Well, when the refugee has been identified as coming to Chicago, we get a dossier that outlines some of their skills, English language profi
ciency level, and any family members that may be traveling with them from the State Department. Once they arrive, we take them to a temporary lodging facility. We typically have them stay at one of four designated hotels near O’Hare for about a week. This allows us time to get them placed into a permanent home. The city receives a federal block grant of $25,000 per refugee to assist them in getting established and integrated into the community.”
Stone nodded, and Mauly continued, “We arrange an apartment for them to move into and provide them with the first six months’ rent, paid in advance. Whether they have family or not will determine how large of an apartment we find them. We typically secure fully furnished apartments, so they don’t need to buy furniture right away. Then we arrange for them to have two hours of English lessons a day if they aren’t already fluent. We also evaluate their skills and then work with local employers to get them jobs.”
Melissa stopped just long enough to take a sip of her coffee before she went on. “Once the refugee has secured a job and is taking their language courses, we provide them with a $2,000 a- month stipend for the first six months. We also work with them to ensure that they can get a checking account established and know how to use a debit card. After six months, most refugees have established themselves with a job and have some money in savings. At that point, they begin to take over the rent of their apartment and are essentially on their own. We check in with them every quarter after the first six months and provide additional assistance if needed.” She was clearly very proud of the program she had developed.
Mike smiled and commended her. “I must say, your plan is significantly better than the other cities we have reviewed. I can see why Director Harper believes the Chicago plan is the way to go.” He was doing his best to stroke their egos so he could gain their trust and establish a rapport with them. His CIA training on recruiting assets could be put to other uses as well.
Mike then turned to Chief Monroe before he changed topics. “I’d like to talk next about the crime stats. Have any of the refugees gotten themselves into any trouble with the police? Have any of them been victims of hate crimes or anything else that would attract police attention?”
