(Washington, D.C.) Delaware Congressman Mike Castle today said the anti-terrorism
bill (PATRIOT Act -- Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) passed by the House “comes up short” on the very important issue of border control and visa integrity.  Castle urged Congressional Leaders to bring his “Visa Integrity and Security Act” to the House Floor for consideration.

Although his comprehensive visa legislation was not included in the PATRIOT Act, Castle voted in favor of the bill, calling it a good first step in giving law enforcement better tools to identify and arrest terrorists who may be operating in the United States.  
          
The PATRIOT Act expands wiretap and surveillance methods aimed at capturing terrorists; encourages sharing of criminal information with intelligence communities; permits detention of suspected terrorists for 7 days; and other initiatives to combat terrorism.

Castle praised the provision which gives the State Department and INS access to Justice Department records of VISA applicants.  It will help US consular workers abroad identify potential terrorists seeking to enter the US.  Castle proposed this provision in his Visa Security and Integrity Act.

“While I support the steps the PATRIOT Act takes in combating terrorism, it does not address some critical issues.  Failing to enforce our immigration laws has already led to terror on our country once.   The terrorists took advantage of our inadequate visa system.  One of the terrorists on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon could have been stopped if we monitored student visas.  He was supposed to attend an English language school in California and never showed up for school.

Another terrorist on that flight left the country and then reentered four days later.  If the U.S. required and monitored exit visas, it is possible he would have been caught.  Additionally, several of the terrorists were in our country on expired visas. We must step up our efforts to track foreign visitors in the United States on work, travel or school visas.” 

Castle’s VISA Act seeks to strengthen coordination between intelligence, immigration and law enforcement agencies at home and around the globe and to help schools and businesses identify violations of student and guest worker visas.

The "Visa Integrity and Security Act" proposes the following:

IMMEDIATE VERIFICATION FOR FOREIGN VISITORS 

• Develops an automated system to track visa holders to determine their legal status in real-time.    Illegal visa holders could be identified at border entry points.
• Requires the use of biometric technology within a tamper-proof visa to provide highest degree of positive identification possible to federal and local law enforcement officials. 

IMPROVED OVERSIGHT OF STUDENT VISAS - Boosts oversight of all foreign student visa holders within the United States.  Requires schools to report to the INS within 30 days of the start of the school term if the older of a student visa by that school does not begin course work.  
If it is determined that the student entered the country but has not enrolled at a school, the visa holder shall be presumed an over stayer and reported to the FBI for inclusion in the NCIC database.

TIGHTEN VISA WAIVER PROGRAM-- Tightens eligibility standards for nations from which visas are not required for entry to the United States.   Friendly nations would have to improve procedures to ensure they are not being unwittingly used by terrorists