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SOUDER EXAMINES STUDENT VISA SECURITY

WASHINGTON, D. C. - U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) questioned government and university officials today in a hearing examining the processes in place to monitor non-citizens entering the United States on student visas. The House Education and Workforce Committee heard testimony from representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as well as from local universities and student and education associations.

"This is a complex issue, and we must approach it in a way that helps us guarantee our own security without limiting the educational opportunities that we offer to students from across the globe," Souder said. "At least one person, apparently the ringleader of the attacks on September 11, was in our country on a student visa even though he may never have attended classes. We know that we must step up our monitoring of how student visas are being used. At the same time, it is not our intention to create a situation in which foreign students find it overly difficult - or impossible - to attend American colleges and universities."

Currently, anyone accepted into a college or other institute of higher learning is eligible for a certificate of eligibility for a student visa. That person can then obtain a visa through U.S. embassies or consulates. Unfortunately, universities often do not report when a student does not show up for school or drops out. Furthermore, even if the educational institution does report a visa violation, the INS often does not have the resources for follow up on the report and find, deport, detain or arrest the violator.

The recently passed PATRIOT act includes provisions that would aid in the investigation or prosecution of students for domestic or international terrorism offenses.

"Our first priority should be to track violators from State Department-designated terrorist nations plus Afghanistan and other nations where facts suggest a higher risk of terrorist activity," Souder said. "There should also be penalties not only for institutes of higher learning but also employers and individuals who sponsor visa recipients from one of these nations and do not report violations to the proper authorities if the visa requirements are not fulfilled, particularly if the recipient disappears. That is the very least the American people expect and deserve."

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