In response to the threat of more terrorist attacks, President Bush and Congress have taken measures to scrutinize student visa applications and those already holding student visas.
At least nine of the 19 suspected perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks entered the country with visas; many of these were student visas. Although the visas were issued legally, some of those granted student visas never actually attended classes. Some held expired visas.
During the first meeting of the Homeland Security Council, Bush announced the creation of the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Force, which allows further investigation of people requesting visas.
“We’re going to start asking a lot of questions that heretofore have not been asked,” Bush said at the meeting.
Bush said this was intended to keep those that pose a danger to the country from entering, not to thwart foreign visits.
“We welcome people coming to America. We welcome the process that encourages people to come to our country to visit, to study, to work,” Bush said. “What we don’t welcome is people who come to hurt the American people. So, therefore, we are going to be very diligent with our visas and observant with behavior of people who come to this country.”
Each year, millions of people enter the country with legal visas. In 1999, 31.4 million people entered the country with visas. So far in 2001, 559,814 people entered the United States with academic or vocational-related visas.
The potential effects of the new policy are unknown; however, it is possible some will be deterred from entering the United States because of the new restrictions.
UW history professor Thomas Archdeacon said the effects of Bush’s policy will be minimal.
“Some students from more countries that are likely to receive questions ? will be affected,” Archdeacon said.
The policy is not an overreaction, Archdeacon said.
“It’s a real world; you have to get real,” he said. “If you come to the U.S. to go to school, they want to make sure [you] are going to school, and that’s not unreasonable.”
Although Bush announced more restrictions, he did not give details of his plan.
Congress is working on a bill to place limitations on the student visa system. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein, D-California, Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, and Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, are working together to introduce specific legislation that would compliment Bush’s idea of securing the student visa system.
The bill by Kennedy and Brownback would require the INS to notify a school when they have issued a visa for an attendee. If the student has not shown up within 15 days of the first day of class, the school would be required to notify the INS.
The legislation by Kyl and Feinstein would end all student visas from countries on the State Department’s list of terrorist-sponsoring states.
Until the details of the plan are released, it is unknown what the effects will be.
“[The effects the policy will have] depend on how it is implemented,” Archdeacon said.
