WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback today joined U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy and other colleagues in introducing the Enhanced Border Security Act of 2001 (S. 1618), a bill to address immigration concerns following the terrorist attacks.

“The Enhanced Border Security Act of 2001 represents an earnest, thoughtful, and bipartisan effort to refine our immigration laws and institutions to better combat the evil that threatens our nation,” Brownback said. “The legislation recognizes that the war on terrorism is, in large part, a war of information. To be successful, we must improve our ability to collect, compile, and utilize information critical to our safety and national security.

“This bill provides that the agencies tasked with screening visa applicants and applicants for admission, namely the Department of State and the INS, must be provided with law enforcement and intelligence information that will enable these agencies to identify alien terrorists. By directing better coordination and access, this legislation will bring together the agencies that have the information and those that need it. With input from the Office of Homeland Security and the President’s Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, this bill will make prompt and effective information-sharing between these agencies a reality.

“In complement to last week’s anti-terrorism act, this legislation provides for necessary improvements in the technologies used by the State Department and the INS. It provides funding for the State Department to better interface with foreign intelligence information and to better staff its infrastructure. It also provides the INS with guidance on the implementation of the Integrated Entry and Exit Data System, pointing the INS to such tools as biometric identifiers in immigration documents, machine readable visas and passports, and arrival-departure and security databases.

“We must intercept terrorists before they reach our borders. Accordingly, we must consider security measures not only at domestic ports of entry but also at foreign ports of departure. To that end, this legislation directs the State Department and the INS, in consultation with Office of Homeland Security, to examine, expand, and enhance screening procedures to take place outside the United States. It also requires international air carriers to transmit, in advance of their arrival, passenger manifests for review by the INS.

“While this legislation mandates certain technological improvements, it does not ignore the human element in the security equation. It provides special training to border patrol agents, inspectors, and foreign service officers to better identify terrorists and security threats to the United States. To help the INS retain its most experienced people on the borders, this bill provides the Service with increased flexibility in pay, certain benefit incentives, and the ability to hire necessary support staff.

“This legislation considers certain classes of aliens that raise security concerns for our country: nationals from states that sponsor terrorism and foreign students. With respect to the former, this bill expressly prohibits the State Department from issuing a non-immigrant visa to any alien from a country that sponsors terrorism until it has been determined that the alien does not pose a threat to the safety or national security of the United States. With respect to the latter, this legislation would fill data and reporting gaps in our foreign student programs by requiring the INS to electronically monitor the student at every stage in the student visa process. It would also require the educational institution to report a foreign student’s failure to enroll and the INS to monitor schools’ compliance with this reporting requirement. “While we must be careful not to compromise our values or our economy, we must take intelligent, immediate steps to enhance the security of our borders. This legislation, consistent with both the recently-signed anti-terrorism law and President Bush’s recent directive on immigration, would implement many changes that are vital to our war on terrorism,” Brownback said.

Cosponsors of the Enhanced Border Security Act of 2001 include Sens. Kennedy, Brownback, Collins, Cantwell, Hagel, Edwards, Ensign, and Reid. The House companion bill was introduced today by Reps. John Conyers, Sam Graves and others.

Brownback is ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration.