THIS SEARCH THIS DOCUMENT THIS CR ISSUE GO TO
Next Hit Forward Next Document New CR Search
Prev Hit Back Prev Document HomePage
Hit List Best Sections Daily Digest Help
Contents Display
| Congressional Record article 7 of 150 | Printer Friendly Display - 7,705 bytes.[Help] |
[Page: E1791] GPO's PDF---
One of the greatest challenges facing the United States now is how to maintain an open, free society while protecting the country from terrorists who exploit that freedom. A key element of the question is the millions of foreigners who enter the United States each year, some of whom have had terror, not touring, on their mind.
In 1998, about 30 million people entered the country on visitors' visas , a form that is relatively easy to obtain, sometimes after only a few routine questions. Then this is what happens: nothing. Once these visitors arrive, the U.S. government washes its hands of them. They are never checked on unless they commit a felony of some kind. In practice, they are free go home or disappear into American life, as they wish.
Many of them never leave. One estimate suggests that half of the 7 million illegal aliens in this country didn't enter illegally but simply overstayed their visas . And the Immigration and Naturalization Service has no idea who they are, where they could be or what they might be up to. Officials say that 16 of the 19 hijacker-terrorists entered the United States on temporary visas as students, workers or tourists.
U.S. borders aren't simply porous, said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration studies in Washington; they are, to all intents and purposes, wide open. That is crazy. An open border is an open invitation to terrorism .
First, the painfully obvious. The INS should keep track of all who visit the United States, where they are and when they are required to leave. The act of not leaving should trigger a reaction from INS enforcement officers--perhaps a letter of inquiry, perhaps arrest, depending on the potential threat.
Keeping track of visitors will take a computer system, a reform mandated by Congress in 1996 but abandoned when border states objected to the delays and loss of business. It will mean time lost and, in all likelihood, traffic jams, particularly at busy U.S.-Mexican and U.S.-Canadian borders. But it is vital to check foreign visitors both in and out. Not to do so invites what has happened.
Protecting the United States may require that the embassy and consulate staffs where visas are issued be better trained or enlarged. They are the first line of defense against attack, and they should act positively, checking backgrounds and criminal records of would-be tourists, particularly if the applicant is from a problematic country such as Iran.
The changes needed might also involve modifications in the visa waiver program, by which nationals in 29 friendly countries such as Great Britain and Norway are admitted to this country without the formality of a visa. At the very least, these visitors, too, should be checked in and out via computer. Because the criminal world so highly values stolen or forged passports from waiver countries, more stringent security provisions might be needed.
Foreign visitors shouldn't look at increased scrutiny or security as an accusation or violation of rights. They are, after all, guests, here on sufferance and required to obey the law. Few other countries have been as wide open as the United States in the past, and even fewer are likely to be in the future.
U.S. law enforcement agencies should know who is entering the country and where they are supposed to be. These organizations can then judge potential risks and problems and handle them as the law allows. When the INS keeps closer track of visitors, it isn't intended to harass but to identify, not to accuse but to protect. It's not xenophobia. It's self-defense.
And self-defense, within the context of freedom, has suddenly become of vital importance.
As the United States moves to take control of its borders and keep track of foreign nationals entering the country, it is important to change the way student visas are handled, too.
About half a million foreign students enter the country every year, some headed for colleges or universities, some for vocational or language schools. The vast majority of them actually attend school.
Some, however, do not, and disappear into the population. In that category was one Hani Hanjour, who was supposed to study English at Holy Names College in Oakland, Calif. Ten months after he skipped out on his student visa, he and companions hijacked the jet that crashed into the Pentagon.
Hard as it might be to understand, schools are not required to notify the Immigration and Naturalization Service if foreign students fail to appear or drop out. Five years ago, Congress ordered the INS to begin tracking foreign visitors. That was to include students starting in 2003. But in August, a bill was introduced to end the system before it began.
The system would have issued cards with magnetic strips to students. The strips, containing personal information, would have to be swiped through a reader when the student entered the country and the cards would have to be shown to school authorities when they arrived on campus.
Then, campus officials would be required to report changes of address and other information concerning international students.
More than a hundred schools spoke out against the INS plan, as did NAFSA/Association of International Educators, a lobbying group. Many university officials worried that any identification system would discourage international students.
Perhaps it would, but it shouldn't. It is not unreasonable and it should not be intimidating to require foreign students not only to be what they claim--students--but to allow the immigration service to keep track of their whereabouts.
[Page: E1792] GPO's PDF
The education lobbying group has seen the light and changed its position. Last month, after the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., its spokesman said, ``The time for debate on this matter is over, and the time to devise a considered response to terrorism has arrived.''
That is a commendable turn-around, one that college and university leaders would do well to emulate. The idea is not to punish foreign students or inconvenience their schools but to protect Americans from terrorists who might enter the country under false pretenses.
The system needs to be put in place yesterday.
THIS SEARCH THIS DOCUMENT THIS CR ISSUE GO TO Next Hit Forward Next Document New CR Search Prev Hit Back Prev Document HomePage Hit List Best Sections Daily Digest Help Contents Display