**At present, there are no Action Alerts in progress.  Please check this page regularly for updates.  For the latest on pending legislation relating to immigration security, click here.

Archived Action Alerts

Action Alert: Feinstein Proposal 
(9/28/01 through 10/12/01)

What is the Feinstein Proposal?
What has NAFSA Done?
What Can You Do?

What is the Feinstein Proposal?

Feinstein’s proposal would greatly jeopardize the U.S. foreign student flow to the United States by scrutinizing student applicants while virtually ignoring every other category of visa applicant, thereby doing nothing to effectively combat terrorism. 

The proposal includes:

• A 6-month moratorium on foreign student visas                                                     
• Full funding authorization for the INS foreign student electronic tracking system                                                     
• Burdensome new INS admission procedures that would require foreign students to submit visa applications to the INS before the State Department issues a visa and that would require comprehensive background checks by the INS before the State Department can issue a foreign student visa                                                     
• New requirements for schools enrolling foreign students                                                     
• Expanding INS data collection and integration                                                     
• Deploying additional inspectors at ports of entry to conduct secondary inspection of incoming foreign students

Click here to view the entire Feinstein proposal.

What NAFSA Has Done?

Click here to view NAFSA Vice President for Public Affairs Norm Peterson's statement from October 5, 2001.

Click here to view NAFSA President June Noronha's statement from September 28, 2001.

What Can You Do?

Your institutional presidents should be hearing from their own associations (American Council on Education, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, American Association of Universities, etc) regarding the need to oppose this proposal.   

Because this legislation may move quickly, it is important for you to take action immediately.  By Friday October 12, we urge you to:

• Contact your president’s office and/or federal relations office to coordinate a strategy (Will you fax letters or make calls? Will your institution’s president speak for the institution, or will several letters/calls be made by you and your colleagues?)                                                  
• Help the federal relations office to understand what impact this proposal would have on your institution                                                  
• As an individual, or if you are empowered to speak on behalf of your institution, you should call or fax Senator Feinstein’s office to oppose the proposal (we encourage everyone, from every state to do this). Her number is 202.224.3841. Her fax number is 202.228.3954.                                                  
• Call or fax your own senators to let them know about your opposition to this proposal and ask them to (1) call Senator Feinstein to ask her to withdraw her proposed legislation and (2) call Senator Kennedy, who would likely preside over any hearings on this legislation, and ask him to prevent it from moving forward.                                                  
• To call your Senators, dial 202.225.3121 or check the Senate Web site for a directory of phone numbers. To write your Senators click here.  It’s important for you to individualize your responses, letting your own Senators know the impact this proposal will have on your state.

The Message

Please use the NAFSA talking points for your comments.  The main point to convey is that this legislation fails to effectively combat terrorism while having the unintended consequence of harming your institution’s (and our nation’s) interest in international student exchange.