Tuesday, October 30, 2001

President Bush Orders Cabinet-Level Review of Student-Visa System By SARA HEBEL Washington President Bush on Monday ordered several administration officials to conduct a "thorough review" of the nation's student-visa system as part of his plan to revamp immigration policies to make it harder for terrorists to enter, or stay in, the United States. The president asked for the review as he convened the first formal meeting of the Homeland Security Council he created after the September 11 attacks. Mr. Bush ordered Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft -- in consultation with four other administration officials, including Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige -- "to institute tighter controls and ensure that student visas are being issued appropriately," according to a news release from the White House on Monday. "International students add greatly to the vitality and quality of our nation's colleges, universities, and other institutions of learning," the statement said. "A goal of the program is to prohibit the education and training of foreign nationals who would use their training to harm the United States and its allies." No other details about the president's thoughts on student-visa policies or a timetable for completing the administration's review were released. The student-visa system already has come under Congressional scrutiny as U.S. immigration officials have reported that as many as two of the hijackers in the terrorist attacks may have entered the United States on student visas. Among the legislative proposals being drafted is a measure by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, and Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, that would allow the federal government and colleges to better screen applicants for student visas and more closely monitor foreign students who do enter the country. The senators' proposal also would prevent the federal government from awarding student visas to residents of the seven countries that the U.S. State Department considers to be sponsors of terrorism -- Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. The president's announcement on Monday came as a surprise to Senator Feinstein, according to Howard Gantman, her communications director. "We welcome the fact that the president is getting involved," Mr. Gantman said. "This is an urgent issue for the nation to address." College lobbyists, who have proposed their own set of visa reforms, also said that they hadn't known the president would call for reviews of the student-visa system. Chris Harrington, a spokesman for the University of California's Washington office, said he hoped that Mr. Bush's directive on student visas represented "a clear signal" that the administration plans to provide the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service with the federal funds it needs to better monitor foreign students. Dozens of college groups and Senator Feinstein sent separate letters to President Bush this month asking that he devote $36-million in emergency spending to help the immigration agency get a new database on foreign students up and running as soon as possible. Congress passed legislation in 1996 that requires the tracking system to be in place by 2003. Background articles from The Chronicle: 2 Senators Propose Barring Student Visas for People From Countries Deemed Terrorist Threats (10/29/2001) Proposed Rules on Foreign Students Leave Many Colleges Worried (10/26/2001) Senator Backs Away From Plan for Moratorium on Student Visas (10/19/2001) College Officials Fear Tightening of Student-Visa Rules in Wake of Terrorist Attacks (9/28/2001) Issues in depth: Articles on the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon and World Trade Center, and their aftermath Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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