Letter to Members of Congress
from the Higher Education Community
September 28,
2001
Dear
Senator/Representative:
In the wake of the devastating
attacks on our nation on September 11, questions have been
raised about international students who receive visas to study
at American colleges.
International students represent
a relatively small number of those who receive visas to visit
the United States. According to the most recent
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) data, a total of
31.4 million non-immigrant visas were issued in
1999. Of that number, roughly 558,000 — or 1.8
percent of the total — were educational visas and just 9,500
of these were for short-term vocational
training. We recognize that the small proportion of
visas issued to foreign students does not obviate their
scrutiny and even a single lapse in security is
unacceptable. However, at the same time, singling
out student visas for scrutiny that does not also apply to
other visas is unlikely to make a significant difference to
national security.
We strongly encourage the
Congress to evaluate the visa issuance process and to probe it
carefully for any weaknesses. The nation’s colleges
are fully committed to helping strengthen our capacity to
protect the United States from
terrorism. International students cannot be
enrolled at an American college without receiving a visa from
the State Department and we look to that agency for guidance
on potential security risks. In addition, colleges
work with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials to
assist in investigations and inform students, administrators
and faculty about current laws regarding international
visitors on our campuses. But more can and should
be done. In particular, we recommend two policy
changes that could be implemented
immediately.
First, funding should be provided
to increase significantly the number of State Department
consular officials at U.S. embassies. This will
permit more extensive interviews and background checks of
individuals applying for visas. At present, given
the large number of visa applicants and the small size of many
U.S. consular offices abroad, embassy staff often find that
they are unable to devote little more than a few minutes to
each application and interview
session.
Second, Congress should provide
funding to the INS to permit the prompt implementation of the
Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), also known as
CIPRIS. This program was designed to be
self-financed through the collection of student fees but INS
has been unable to develop a suitable and workable collection
system. Full federal financing will eliminate the
underlying administrative problems related to the collection
of fees that have plagued this initiative. Once in
place, SEVP/CIPRIS will track the academic activities of
international students and will provide immediate notification
to federal officials of any change in status – such as
finishing a degree or changing an academic major – that may
affect a student visa.
A number of other specific
proposals have been suggested. These ideas include:
a 30-day delay in the issuance of a visa in order to permit
extensive background checks; a bar code visa identification
system that would alert authorities to visitors who have
overstayed their visas; tighter limitations for countries with
high incidences of visa theft; and a requirement that schools
or businesses notify the INS within a two-week period about a
visa holder who fails to appear at an expected
destination. While we have not seen the details of
these proposals and therefore are not in a position to endorse
them, all are thoughtful recommendations and merit careful
consideration.
In addition, at a later date, we
encourage Congress to consider more fundamental
changes. Federal rules and regulations governing
immigration policy have not kept up with the massive increase
in international mobility that has taken place over the past
twenty-five years. We encourage Congress to hold
extensive hearings for the purpose of crafting an immigration
policy appropriate for the 21st Century and to restructure the INS
accordingly. Such a review should focus on the need
for a better capacity to monitor all foreign visitors,
regardless of the type of visa they receive. But we
emphasize that such a review should take place in the future
and should not delay the enactment of any urgently
needed reforms.
We believe that closing the
loopholes that have been or could be exploited by those
intending to harm the United States and our citizens also
represents the best means to lift the cloud of suspicion and
fear that has begun to jeopardize the international exchange
of students and scholars. International exchanges
have served our nation well throughout its
history. The overwhelming majority of students who
come here to study return to their home countries as
ambassadors for American values, democracy, and the free
market. United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Mexican President
Vicente Fox all attended American
universities. Curtailing these exchanges would only
deprive our nation of one of its best tools for extending
democratic values throughout the world, making us more
susceptible to the distortions and myths of extremist
organizations and movements.
We look forward to working with
you to accomplish these important objectives and again pledge
the full support of the higher education community in this
effort.
Sincerely,
David Ward
President, American
Council on Education
DW/cms
On behalf of:
American
Association of Community Colleges
American Council on
Education
Council for Advancement and Support of
Education
Council of Graduate Schools
Council of
Independent Colleges
NAFSA: Association of
International Educators
National Association of State
Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
